Prisoner of Love
by armlessphelan
Summary: The Devil has returned to Salem, and it has Will Horton in its thrall. What does it have in store for the town of Salem? And just who or what is stalking the streets of the town killing everyone?
1. Chapter 1

Serena Mason only caught a glimpse of long blonde hair before the lead pipe was shoved through her eye socket and into her brain. She was dead long before her body was thrown through the glass roof of the Horton Square.

After her corpse crashed to the ground, surrounded by shards of what was once the dome that held the elements at bay, the only thing that could be heard was the screaming of Melanie Jonas. 

Days 

"It looks like she fell through the roof," Hope Brady told one of the beat cops on the scene. She snapped on her gloves and examined the body. "It's possible that this pipe lodged in her skull was the murder weapon."

The area had been cordoned off, but Daniel Jonas, father to the witness who had IDed the victim, was on the scene lecturing the police about how inefficient they were at their jobs. Hope ignored him. It would take every ounce of brain power she had to determine just how this promising young reporter had died. Her detective's intuition told her that the killer likely knew the victim.

"Jenkins, I need you to track down Nicole Walker and drag her to the station. Let me know when she's in custody. And get a man on Theresa Donovan. She may answer to Jeannie if she's suspicious. If this was a murder, then it's likely one of them committed the crime."

"Yes, Ma'am," the officer said with a nod. As he departed, Hope saw that something was clutched in Serena's hand. She pried the fingers open and found a crumpled wad of paper. As she smoothed it out, she saw that it was a picture: a photograph that had likely been printed off a computer, but it was in black and white.

It was her nephew, Eric Brady. Why would Serena have a picture of Eric in her possession the moment she died? 

Days 

"You can't keep me here! People will be looking for me!" Eric Brady yelled at his captor, his bare chest heaving and unshed tears stinging his eyes. "My aunt is a detective. My dad is the chief of police! I think. I'm not sure these days. But there will be people looking for me."

"Oh, I know all about that. I'm making plans to deal with that nuisance, Father," the shadowy figure said, a voice so low and inhuman than it sent chills through his spine. "There was a woman who had noticed that you were missing. She's serving the greater good now, all puns intended."

A chuckle rang through the room that sent fearful tears cascading down Eric's cheeks. Why did this person have him? What did they want with him?

"I'm not a priest anymore. You took the time to kidnap me and remove my shirt while I was unconscious, but you didn't know that?" Eric strained against his bindings, but it was no use. They were strong; they were too strong for him to break and too tight for him to escape. His legs were chained as well as his arms, but he was at least given enough room to stand or sit as he pleased.

"I know that you left the Church. I'll have to thank that dear sweet Nicole for that when I see her next." The figure laughed again. "Whether she realizes it or not, she's been my agent in Salem these last few years. She is the one who cleared my path back to this town after twenty years away. You were my initial target, the son of my former vassal, but your faith was too strong even after your downfall. I couldn't get in. But there was another, a guilt-ridden thing that gave me all the access I could want."

"What are you talking about? Who are you?! What do you have to do with Nicole?"

The figure stepped out of the shadows and Eric gasped. The paisley shirt and striped vest gave it away more than the face: Eric's own nephew Will Horton stared into his eyes. Those inhuman, frightening eyes. Long blond hair, styled exactly like Eric's mothers, fell around Will's face and shoulders.

When he was about ten feet away from Eric, Will settled on his knees and lowered his head. He clasped his hands as if in prayer.

"Why Will? Why would you do this to me?"

"This may be Will's face and body, but he isn't the one in control. My name is unpronounceable by the human tongue. But there are things that this tongue can do and has done. I intend to see just what those things will do to one such as you."

Eric found himself unable to speak as Will raised his head and looked once more into his eyes. Lowering his hands to the floor, Will raised his hind quarters into the air, slowly crawling in the direction of his uncle. It was futile but Eric still fought against his restraints as he sobbed.

"Now, now, isn't this what you men of the cloth want? An innocent boy submitting himself to a higher power? I have his soul, sure, but he wants your body. He always did, the wicked little thing. He knew you were his blood and he did not care."

"Will, stop this. I don't know what you think you're doing, but this isn't funny," Eric gasped just before his nephew reached him. But Will didn't stop.

"You mentioned that I had removed your shirt. I did because he's here and he wanted it. I never considered this until I saw his thoughts. I was still going to desecrate you, but my method was far more... pedestrian than his."

Stopping and reaching up, Will ran his fingertips through the hair on Eric's chest. He slowly climbed his uncle's torso until they were face to face. Eric could no longer deny it: this was not his nephew.

"Sins of the flesh are the best kind," the thing that was not Will purred. It leaned into him, pressing Will's clothed chest to Eric's naked one, and tangled one of his hands into Eric's hair. The tears that Eric freely shed disappeared as the thing licked them away.

"Please." Eric begged as the thing caressed his chest with Will's free hand. "Don't do this to me. Don't do this to him."

"I can hear his thoughts, Father," Not Will whispered into Eric's ear before licking it. It sent tingles of wrongness and excitement through Eric's body, but the hand that wasn't in his hair had slid down to his belt. "He wants this. He hates himself for it, but he wants it. And this hand that is it? It can feel that you want it, too."

Will's fingers slid between Eric's jeans and his boxers. A thin strip of cloth was all that separated them, but Eric found himself sliding into the touch despite his brain screaming at him to pull away.

"Just a taste. That's all you get for now, but I will be back." Not Will told Eric before it kissed him. It was deep and strong and Eric melted into it even though every fibre of his being wanted nothing more than to scream.

Then Will was gone and all that remained of their encounter was the wig in Eric's lap and the hard on in his jeans. 

Days 

"Serena's dead?" Brady reached out to hold Melanie's hand. "I didn't know her long, but she was so radiant and beautiful and intelligent. Why would anyone want to harm her?"

"I don't know!" Melanie whined into her coffee. "Serena was such a good person. The only way anyone could hate her was if they were jealous."

They sat like that for awhile, Brady holding Melanie's hand and she sobbed and cried and occasionally burned her tongue on her drink. He didn't know what to say to her. If he had a target, something or someone he could yell at, it would be different. But all he had was silence. 

Days 

"Theresa, could you be more professional? A colleague of ours just died," Daniel growled at her as she picked her doughnut "Don't you care?"

"I really don't," Theresa admitted with a shrug. "I'm more upset that the cafeteria was sold out of the lemon-filled donuts. Raspberry is such a letdown by comparison."

"You didn't see it. Serena was... Whoever did this really hated her."

"Unless you're gonna tell me who it was so that I can give them half a raspberry doughnut as thanks, I suggest you take this elsewhere. I have neither the time nor the inclination to give a fuck." Theresa raised her doughnut in Daniel's direction as a makeshift toast, then bit down into it. She really wished it were lemon-filled.

"You really are a hateful person, aren't?" Daniel accused, grabbing Theresa's wrist before she could take another bite of her doughnut "What did Serena ever do to you?"

"She didn't touch me without permission," Theresa snarled. She snatched one of the plastic spoons next to the coffee machine and stabbed Daniel in the chest. It snapped and he released her out of shock. "Touch me again and it will be real, and it won't be a spoon."

Then she looked at her doughnut, decided she was done, and threw it in his face.

"Excuse me, are you Theresa Donovan?" A police officer walked up to her and Daniel before she could leave. Daniel suddenly got even more smug than before and she wanted to smack the look off of his face. However, since there was a cop in the area, she didn't want to risk assault charged.

"That's me," she said with an insincere smile. "What can I do for you, Officer?"

"We need you down at the station for questioning. It's about a Ms. Serena Mason."

Daniel's smirk grew even wider and Theresa began to think that assault charges would be worth it.


	2. Chapter 2

"You're a monster," Paul laughed before licking the beads of sweat from the small of Will's back. "I know we've been doing this for awhile, but that was... Wow. It was definitely wow."

"You have no idea the things I can do," Will replied. He rolled over so that he was on top, Paul pinned underneath him.

"We're verse now?" Paul did his best to arch up against Will's chest, but was firmly held down. He smirked because he wasn't used to someone else having control. It was thrilling.

Will slung his arm around Paul's neck and pulled him close, kissing the back of his shoulder. Then he heard it: someone was trying to open the door. Didn't people in Salem ever knock? Good thing he had it locked.

Except it wasn't locked.

"Paul? WILL?!" Sonny yelled and Paul did his best to break away but Will wouldn't let him.

"Hi," Will greeted, his chin touching Paul's temple. "Paul, do you know my husband? His name is Sonny."

"Husband?" Paul blinked and finally broke away from Will, pulling his blanket with him as he climbed out of the bed. While Paul covered himself, Will put his hands behind his head and lay back in the bed with a wide grin on his face. He made no attempt to hide anything.

"You're cheating on me?" Sonny looked from Will to Paul and it wasn't immediately clear which man he was talking to.

"You sound surprised. I am my mother's son. It was only a matter of time. I just... You aren't man enough for me. Paul here, he definitely is. What they say about Asian men isn't true at all."

Then Sonny looked to Paul, the pain in his eyes so raw that all Paul could feel was guilt. "You..."

"I didn't know he was married, let alone to you. I'm so sorry. If I knew, I wouldn't. I swear."

"You two know each other? Oh, this is delicious. I'm interested in how someone as worldly as Paul would know a stick in the mud like you," Will snorted.

"Put some clothes on. We're leaving. NOW!" Sonny yelled at his husband as Paul did his best to shrink into the wall.

"Or you could join us. I'm up for another round. As you can see." Will looked from Sonny to Paul and Paul felt his insides grow cold. There was no way this was normal. Not even for Salem, where people regularly yelled at each other over coffee.

"I'm going. Screw this. I'll be at OUR home with YOUR daughter. Abigail is babysitting right now."

Will perked up at this. "Oh, do tell Abby I said hello! Now we can compare affairs."

Sonny just stared at his husband, then gave Paul the dirtiest glare and stormed out of the hotel room. He slammed the door behind him hard enough to shake the walls. Will didn't look bothered in the slightest.

"I'm going to go take a shower. You shouldn't be here when I'm done," Paul warned Will, though he wasn't sure exactly what he could do to make the man leave.

"Are you sure you don't want to give me another go first?" Will slid his hand over the empty space next to him in the bed.

"Just be gone," Paul ordered before disappearing into the bathroom.

Days

Hope stared at Nicole. She had her glasses on, but took them off to make sure that she wasn't seeing wrong. "You're wearing a kitten sweater with a leather mini jacket and a top hat?"

"Goodwill had a half-off sale," Nicole snapped. She crossed her legs, her fishnet stockings and polka dot skirt clashing with her eggshell high heels. "Are you the fashion police? Did you really have your goons drag me down here because of how I dress?"

"Officer Jenkins brought you here because Serena Mason was thrown through the glass dome that sits on top of the Horton Square. There was a metal pipe shoved into her brain. We're investigating the angle that it was possibly a homicide."

Nicole uncrossed her legs and looked right into Hope's eyes.

"But what does that have to do with me?"

"Where were you today at 3pm?"

"I was at work. On the air, delivering a report about homeless children eating food from dumpsters. You can call my bosses or watch the report yourself."

"You were delivering a report on starving homeless children?" Hope asked for clarification.

"Yes."

Sighing, Hope put her glasses back on. "Dammit, Nicole, why wouldn't you give those kids a meal and take them to a shelter? They're people, not pawns for you to use to try to win some journalism award."

"Excuse me?" Nicole gasped, pressing her hand to her chest.

"You are disgusting, using those poor children to further your career. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Some people go decades without eating, surviving on nothing more than bottled water and borrowed cigarettes," Hope snapped, slamming the palms of her hands on her desk. "I'm going to check with your station to verify your claim, but I have it on good authority that you and Serena Mason didn't get along. You have the strongest motive in the world to have killed her and your abuse of homeless children does nothing but convince me that you are capable of murder."

"Are you charging me with something or can I go now?" Nicole asked, her face on the verge of bursting into tears. Hope didn't buy it. Nicole was anything but innocent.

"Don't leave town," Hope ordered. She was certain that Nicole was connected to Serena's murder somehow, but she didn't want to say it until after she had looked over the notes from Theresa's interrogation.

Days

Eric sat and let Not Will feed him. He wanted to fight back, to do something to facilitate his escape, but he had no idea how and depriving himself of food and drink wouldn't do him any good.

"Can you feel it, Father?" Not Will asked as it sat on Eric's lap and wrapped his nephew's legs around his midsection. He sat the food down to the side and raised Eric's arms above his head as he chewed his food. Then Not Will started grinding his ass against his groin. "Your nephew, he's quite the little whore. He was already doing such wicked things before I slipped in. And he wants to you do it, too. He wants you to slip in just like I did. And after today, nobody else will want him: nobody but you. We all know it."

"Water," Eric requested after he swallowed his mouthful of food, trying to not think of the words he was hearing. This wasn't Will.

Nodding, Not Will released Eric and held one hand out. The bottle of water flew into his hand, the display of magic shocking Eric. After adjusting his wig, Not Will broke the seal and held the bottle to Eric's lips. As he drank, Eric became aware of water dribbling down his chin and splashing on his chest.

"You're so messy, Father. Let me clean that for you." Not Will pulled the bottle away and screwed the lid back on, then leaned in and lapped the water from his chest. His tongue traced a trail up to Eric's chin, where he finally started to pull away. The thing inhabiting his nephew's body grabbed his head and turned his face. "You don't like it?"

"This isn't right."

"But doesn't it feel good? Don't you like the feel of his warm hands on your skin? Don't you like feeling him embrace you the way only a woman ever has?"

Crying again, Eric looked at the ceiling so he wouldn't have to see his nephew in his mother's wig. It worked until Not Will started to kiss him.

"He can't say it, Father," Not Will breathed against Eric's lips before kissing him again. He reached down with both hands and began to unfasten Eric's belt and the man was not strong enough to fight back. Pushing himself forward, Eric joined in the kiss instead of resisting. Leaving his belt half-undone, Not Will's hands caressed Eric's neck and the side of his face.

"What?" Eric breathed into his nephew's mouth before he was consumed by the fire in his stomach.

Pushing away, Not Will scooted back off of Eric and resumed removing his belt.

"He wants this as much as you do. Will wants you as much as he did that man this afternoon."

"Sonny? His husband? You possessed him and you don't know the name of his husband?" What he was doing hit Eric like a bucket of water, washing away the fog that had been clouding his brain. He was sickened by his actions.

"Not Sonny," the thing that was not Will answered as it pulled Eric's belt loose and looped it around his neck, pulling him in for another kiss. The moment of clarity disappeared and Eric could only focus on the heat spreading throughout his body. "Another. He was my key in, this man. It was Will's guilt about him that let me take over. I should thank him, too."

"Thank him?" Eric could barely understand what he was saying. All knew was that Will's lips had shut him back up and the hands were unfastening his pants and unzipping his fly. He used the chains binding his arms to the wall to raise himself off the floor just enough for his jeans to be pulled down to his knees.

"Thank me." Hot breath left was replaced by cold air until Eric felt Will kissing his neck again. He moaned, a wordless cry of lust rising from deep within his spirit. Will's lips traced their way down to Eric's nipple, where his teeth and tongue began to play. Eric bit his lips and pulled against the chains because he didn't know what else to do. "THANK ME!"

Not Will leaned back up to kiss Eric. It was inconceivable to the man how he had lived all these years without this sensation: he never wanted to be without it again. The thing in his nephew's body broke off the kiss and began kissing his way down Eric's torso. It stopped at his navel, kissing around it and sticking his tongue in it as Eric grunted and tried to reach to push him the rest of the way down.

"Say it," the thing commanded softly, cutting through everything. The words echoes in his soul.

"Thank. You." Eric gasped as he arched his back and pushed himself against Will's face. Then Will's fingers grasped the waistband of Eric's boxer's and everything went white.

Days

"They both have solid alibis. One of them must have had an accomplice," Hope said to Jenkins as she read Theresa's report for the third time. "Theresa was at the hospital having a screaming match with Abigail Devereaux in the children's ward and Nicole was live on the air. I just don't know who else would hate someone as wonderful as Serena enough to kill her."

"Maybe it was a Dimera," the officer suggested. "I mean, they are the majour crime family of Salem. That one, the Chad character, he's been causing a lot of trouble since he returned to town."

"That is a possibility," Hope said as took off her glasses and looked out her office window. Her cousin Jennifer had called earlier and said she'd be bringing by dinner: Hope had completely forgotten. "You look into that, Jenkins. I have an appointment waiting just outside."

"Yes, Ma'am," Jenkins said with a nod before excusing himself. He opened the door to Hope's office long enough for Jennifer to slip in, then closed it behind him.

"Fried chicken again? You know I don't like chicken," Hope sighed as she opened a drawer on her desk and stashed away the file on Serena's murder.

"Please. You don't like any of the food I bring you," Jennifer chastised Hope with a chuckle. "Here's your bottle of water. The gas station didn't have your brand of cigarettes. Sorry."

"Ugh. I'll have to borrow some from the desk sergeant. She gives me the creeps," Hope complained as she opened her bottle. She stared at the bottle, then opened the drawer and retrieved Theresa's statement. "Jennifer, do you still work at the hospital?"

"Last I checked," Jennifer said with a shrug as she dug out a drumstick. "Why?"

"Can you get me Theresa's personnel file? I know she's friends with that woman that runs the HR department, so she'll never release the information to me."

"Why do you need Theresa's file? What did she do?"

"I can't prove that she did anything. I just have a hunch. Get me that file, Cuz. I have to skip dinner to go talk to Kate Robert or Dimera or whatever she's calling herself now."

Pushing herself away from her desk, Hope stood up and ignored Jennifer as her cousin called after her.


	3. Chapter 3

Daniel Jonas didn't have the time to see who was attacking him. His eyes burned and he crawled around the floor of his apartment choking on the pepper spray.

"Whoever you are, you won't get away with this!" Daniel threatened before something solid and wooden crashed into the side of his head. As he lay on his floor, blood dripping from the side of his mouth, the last thing he heard was high heels clicking on the floor.

Days 

"Daniel? I know you're mad at me, but I... I really need someone to talk to. Hope thinks I may have killed Serena and I swear I didn't," Nicole cried as she knocked kn Daniel's door. "Please be home. The hospital said you were off today. You're the only friend I have."

Desperate for someone who wouldn't immediately spit on her, Nicole tried the doorknob and found it unlocked. She opened the door and let herself inside.

"Daniel?" She closed the door behind her and walked a little further into his apartment before seeing him. "Oh, Daniel..."

Nicole wanted to scream, but she didn't have time before the Salem Police Department busted the door open. Caught by surprise, Nicole could only stand there as Hope and the accompanying officer stared her down.

"Jenkins, take her into custody. I knew we should've responded immediately to the calls reporting sounds of a fight instead of stopping for our usual two hour coffee break."

"Are you telling me you didn't like your french fry from whatever that fast food place was named," Jenkins asked as pulled Nicole's arms behind her back and handcuffed her.

"It's making me sick now. This is why I don't eat potatoes, Jenkins. Take her down to the squad care and wait for me while I call this in."

And before she could say anything to defend herself, Jenkins had rammed Nicole's head into the nearest wall and began reading her Miranda Rights. Hope pulled out her glasses and stared at Daniel's corpse. "Is this another murder?" 

Days 

"Will! How did you get in here?" Chad closed the door to the study and crossed his arms, smiling at his friend who was sitting on his desk. "Are you visiting your grandma, Kate?"

Shaking his head, Will just smiled.

"Is it true, though? I heard through the grapevine that you were cheating on Sonny." Chad took off his coat and scarf and hung them on a nearby rack, but left on his work jacket.

All Will did was nod, a smirk lingering on his face.

"I'm so proud of you. No offence, but I always thought you could do better than Sonny. He's so boring. Who the hell runs a night club that serves coffee to old people?" Chad removed his tie and stood by the door, waiting for Will to finally say something.

Reaching his hand out in Chad's direction, Will looked at him with a forlorn mixture of envy and regret. "All this darkness surrounding you. It would've been so easy. Too easy. Still, I suppose it's for the best."

Chad looked into Will's eyes, then immediately looked away and shuddered. He faked a laugh. "I never knew you had a thing for me. Darn that pesky heterosexuality, huh?"

Chad laughed again, still not feeling it. Will retracted his hand and started chewing on his thumbnail.

Approaching his friend, Chad wanted to let him know it was okay. "Trust me on this, my friend. If I ever do decide to give guys a try, you'll be my first call."

Then he clapped Will on the shoulder and something ancient and unstoppable ran through him.

"Will?" Chad situated himself directly in front of Will, his friend opening his legs so that they could get closer than Chad had initially planned.

"So, I have this effect on more than just the one?" Will whispered to himself before looking up into Chad's eyes. "This place seems smaller than the last time I was here."

Grinning from ear to ear, Chad reached around Will's back and pulled their bodies together.

"We've done some renovating since I moved back in. And I guess the mansion isn't the only thing undergoing some changes right now."

"Why the fuck not?" Will asked, seemingly more to himself than Chad. Then he leaned upward and they kissed. It was nothing like Chad had expected but everything like he had never known he wanted.

He pushed his body even closer to Will's, hands exploring to places he never expected. Then he shifted back and began to take off his jacket.

"Let me," Will whispered into Chad's ear before lightly sucking on his earlobe. Chad lost the ability to say anything else.

Will pushed Chad and he tripped and fell over the back of the nearby sofa, landing on the couch with bis legs hanging over the back while his head hung off the edge of the seat. The sudden weight of Will on top of him pushed Chad further into the sofa and he liked it.

Somehow, even though Chad knew it was physically impossible, Will got his jacket off and threw it. There was a the sound of a lamp of vase crashing to the floor. It didn't matter. All that mattered was Chad grabbing Will around the the waist and flipping them so that he was back on top.

"What's happening?" Chad asked the air before he dived back down into Will's mouth, fingers fumbling with the buttons on the other man's denim vest. If he were honest, he didn't really care.

When Will slid a leg around Chad's backside and pushed their groins together, Chad moaned into his mouth and decided that he didn't care. He pulled his own shirt out of his pants and ripped it open, buttons flying in every direction. Will greedily explored Chad's body with his hands. Chad closed his eyes and leaned back so that Will could finish peeling the shirt off of him. Then Will started to do things with his tongue.

Chad wanted to know what else that tongue could do.

"Should we get more comfortable?" Will asked after he pulled his face and that glorious tongue out of Chad's armpit. "There isn't a whole lot that humans can do in this position.

Nodding in agreement, Chad disentangled himself from Will and stretched. His shoulder was actually sore from his fall, but he barely noticed it. Then Will rose and grabbed Chad, pulling him in for another rough kiss. Chad responded by throwing Will into the wall face first and pressing himself against his friend's back.

"Yes," Will groaned as he started to turn to kiss Chad again, but Chad refused it. He pushed Will's head again the wall so hard it banged off, then made Will suck on his fingers. His friend did so with gusto.

"You don't do anything unless I tell you to," Chad ordered before biting the back of Will's neck. When he pulled away, he found himself happy with the bruise that was already beginning to form. When Will didn't answer, Chad pulled his fingers from Will's mouth and smacked his ass. "You will speak when I speak to you. Understand?"

"Yes," Will moaned, a wide grin forming on his face. His eyes were closed and Chad found it comforting somehow.

Then Chad backed away and ordered Will to remove his vest. After doing so, Will started unbuttoning his shirt and Chad grabbed his hands and slammed them back into the wall. "I didn't tell you to do that."

Will smirked and Chad kissed him again, releasing Will's hands so that he could remove the shirt himself. He wasn't sure how it was possible to have a plaid shirt with red and blue zigzags, but if anyone could it was Will.

After peeling off Will's shirt, Chad reached down and made Will wrap a leg around his torso. Chad pulled the both of them away from the wall and then slammed Will into the nearest bookcase. A copy of "How to Accessorize on a Dollar Store Budget" fell from the shelf and hit Will on the head, but he didn't seem to notice. Chad didn't care because Will's sailor pants had fallen to his ankles. It didn't occur to Chad that Will had done it until after he'd slapped him.

"I said not to do anything unless I told you to." Chad raised his hand and slapped Will again. The grin never left Will's face.

"Yes," Will said as he dropped to his knees and lowered his head.

"YES, WHAT?!" Chad yelled before slapping Will a third time. He thought maybe he was going too far, but Will was revelling in it. 

"Yes, Master."

"Good boy," Chad said as he caressed Will's cheek. It was turning a dark red from where he had just struck him. It was as important to reward good behaviour as it was to punish the bad, after all.

"Yes, Master," Will repeated. Chad caught his eye and, somewhere beneath the clouded over lust, there was something dark that gave him pause. It scared the hell out of Chad but it also excited him.

"Since you're already down there, I might as well put that dirty mouth to work. What do you think, you filthy whore?"

Will beamed up at him, but didn't move. Good. That meant he was learning.

Days 

"Whoever did this was either strong, had help, or had ample time to position the body," Hope surmised as she pointed at the corpse that used to be Daniel Jonas. "See the way his hands and feet have been nailed into the wall? And how these rose stems were carefully molded into a crown?"

Jenkins nodded. "It definitely seems like it took some work to crucify him. Are we certain it was murder?"

Hope shook her head. It certainly looked like someone had killed Daniel, but she couldn't rule that possibility that he had hung himself on the wall. A good cop had to look at all the angles.

"What about the suspect?"

I have her locked up down in the patrol car until the squad comes in to take her. She's not getting out."

"Jenkins, you can't just leave someone in the car in the middle of winter. It's inhumane."

"I left the window cracked so she could get fresh air."

Smiling, Hope nodded. "You're a good officer, Jenkins. You think of everything."

"Thank you, Ma'am," he replied with a sincere smile. "She kept insisting that she had just arrived. CSI is gonna examine the CCTV when they get here."

"Or we could do it now. He's not going anywhere," Hope suggested, indicating Daniel with a jerk of her hand. She pulled out her glasses and put them on. "Come on, Jenkins. We have work to do."

Days 

Eric found himself missing the presence that wasn't Will. He missed the way it felt, the way it tasted. He hated himself for it. He prayed to God to forgive him for the things he had done to his nephew's body.

Hunger gnawed away at him. Not Will had left him food, but Eric couldn't reach it. His chains didn't allow his hands to reach the floor. So he did his best to not look at the food without closing his eyes.

Whenever Eric closed his eyes, he remembered everything. And he found himself anticipating the creature's return as much as he dreaded it.

Days 

"Waaaaaah!" Melanie sobbed. "What did I do to deserve this?"

"Nothing," Brady assured her as he kissed her scraped knee and put a band-aid on it. "There, all better. Remember to be careful and take the stairs one at a time, okay?"

Fighting back tears, Melanie nodded. Brady stood and helped her to her feet.

"There we go. Ready to go identify your father's body?"

Melanie jumped up and down, already forgetting her knee. "Yes! Can I start the car for you? I wanna start the car!"

Grinning, Brady handed her his key ring. She was putting on such a strong front for him. "Okay. Just this once. It's a special occasion."

"YAY!" Melanie shouted as she took the keys and pulled Brady into a tight hug. Then she started to run but slammed into the closed entrance door. "OWW!"

"Let me get it for you," Brady offered as turned the handle and pushed on the door. It didn't move. Was it stuck? He pushed it again but it didn't budge. Brady slammed his shoulder into it and nothing. Releasing the handle, Brady took several steps back and rammed it with all his weight. His hard work was rewarded with a spot on the floor next to Melanie.

"You have to pull it," Victor explained to duo, face firmly in his palm.

Days 

"They think it might have been a Dimera who killed Serena Mason," Kate snorted into the phone. "Hope even questioned me about it, but I have no clue who the hell she is. Neither does Chad. Does the name ring any bells?"

"Not to me," Kristen answered as she patted her cabana boy on the head. "I'm sure it's nothing, but if Hope Brady comes sniffing around again, let me know. I'll deal with her."

Kate agreed then hung up, ending the call. Kristen let her phone clatter on the table next to the lounging chair. "Beauregard, be a dear and get me something to drink. I'm parched."

"Yes, Mistress," he said with a bow. She hated the glazed over look in his eyes and his monotone voice, but Kristen loved watching him walk away in his loin cloth.


	4. Chapter 4

CSI cleared Nicole. Forensics supported her story, even if the CCTV had been mysteriously erased. Hope let her off with a lecture and a warning. She still thought the woman was connected to the case. It was just too suspicious: Nicole had a history of being jealous of everything Serena had accomplished and she also had a history of disappointing Daniel. She and Daniel has recently broken up: maybe Nicole caught Daniel and Serena having a moment and decided to kill them for it? It was in her character.

Hope poured over the files. Officially, the cases weren't connected, but it couldn't be a coincidence. The victims had to be linked to the killer and Nicole was definitely the strongest suspect, but there was also Theresa. Serena had recently filed a complaint with HR over Theresa pouring bleach in her coffee: Theresa claimed that she thought was just a clear coffee creamer.

Then there were the Dimeras. There was absolutely no evidence or motive to tie them to the murders, but they had to be involved as well. Hope just couldn't figure out why or how.

She stared at the croissant Jennifer had dropped off while Hope was out. Jennifer still didn't know about Daniel. They'd only informed his immediate family.

"AARGH!" Hope screamed as she grabbed the croissant and threw it across the room. This was too hard. Everyone thought cops were infallible, but she wasn't. She was stumped. Then there was the small matter of Serena having a picture of Eric when she died that couldn't be explained.

It didn't help that Eric had gone missing around the time Serena had died. Hope couldn't pick his brain as to how Nicole could be the killer. Maybe his absence was also linked to the murders? It was something worth looking into.

"JENKINS!" she shouted as she grabbed her coat. Hope looked at the croissant lying on the floor and stomped it. She would have to talk to Jennifer about Daniel, but first she was going to check out her missing nephew's apartment.

Days

"I don't want you anywhere near my father's funeral!" Melanie shouted at Theresa as the patients looked on. "You're nothing but a cold, selfish bitch."

Yawning, Theresa snatched a glass of water from a nearby cancer patient trying to take his meds and threw it in Melanie's face. "You need to simmer down. I wouldn't be caught dead at Daniel's funeral. Anne and I are too busy planning a celebratory parade down Main Street."

"You're so cruel," Melanie screamed as she ripped the blanket off a burn victim to dry herself. "What did my dad ever do to you?"

"You mean besides make me the town pariah to cover up that JJ Devereaux was getting high while he was on probation?" Theresa handed the empty glass back to the man, ignoring his stutters of protest. "If you'll excuse me, I have work to do. Enjoy your upcoming day off with pay."

"It's my father's funeral!" Melanie screamed as Theresa passed her.

Theresa didn't bother to stop or turn around. She just held up a hand as she walked into the hallway. "And it's my early birthday present."

Days

"Did you miss me, Father?" The thing that wasn't Will echoed before it teleported into the dungeon. Eric knew it was the work of the supernatural, the accomplishment of dark forces, but he never was able to grow accustomed to it.

"Your face... What did you do to his face?" Eric asked when he saw Will was bruised and bleeding. He was also grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh, this face? It's the least of what happened. Do you see this?" Not Will walked over to Eric and bent down so that he could see the bruising around Will's neck. "You humans are still a mystery all these eons later. Some of you are so wonderfully savage while others are brutally kind. What are you, Father?"

"Why don't you release me and find out?" Eric posed as he tried to leap and attack the creature to no avail.

The creature in Will's body stood and spun away. As it did so, the bruising and blood disappeared. Not Will stopped and snapped Will's fingers and the wig once again found itself on the top of his head. It bowed to Eric and his clothes melded together and shifted until he was wearing a crimson tuxedo.

"You want I should release you? Very well," the thing teased. It snapped Will's fingers again and the bindings around Eric's arms and legs vanished. He stumbled as he tried to stand. He had forgotten that his pants were still around his legs. He never had the opportunity or ability to pull them back up. "Hmm. That's something I can help with."

Snapping Will's fingers once more, the beast made what remained of Eric's clothing vanish.

"Much better," it said as Will's gaze ran up and down Eric's form. Eric felt himself cringing away. "But now that you're free, what are you going to do? Attack me? Escape? Have you not noticed that this room has no doors?"

"You got me in here somehow," Eric argued. There had to be a secret passage or something built into one of the walls.

"Father, you are so foolish. I can do anything. The laws of science don't apply to me."

"Dark magic. Evil magic." Eric grunted as he steeled himself. Not Will walked to him, holding his hand out but not touching Eric.

Laughter rang through the dungeon. "Magic? This isn't magic. I am as beyond magic as man is the amoeba. Really, now, Father. You should know what I am. Who I am."

"Get thee behind me, Satan!" Eric screamed, spittle flying from his mouth.

"That is a definite possibility, though this host has never been the giver before." Not Will chuckled, still not touching Eric. "But I'm not Satan as you know him. I'm not some thing from a fairytale that you can ward off with prayer and holy water. I'm not a fallen angel, Father. I'm a force of nature. I'm the same thing as the sun and the stars and the sky and the dirt and the water. I'm all the good in mankind and all the bad. I am the great sin of free will."

"You are a liar," Eric spit from between gritted teeth.

"You love it," Not Will goaded. His eyes drifted down to Eric's groin. "You have certain tells."

"Never again, monster. You will release me and my nephew and go back to the festering fiery pit you came from."

"That's a horrible way to talk about your twin sister." The thing that wasn't Will leaned in and kissed Eric's cheek, then snapped his fingers one final time and vanished. The wig landed at Eric's feet.

Days

"JJ, honey, do you have the deep fryer set up? You know I need it ready to go. I'm making dinner for poor Melanie and Parker." Jennifer walked into the kitchen and scoffed. The table was clean and clear.

"Yeah, Mom, I set it up in the backyard. I figured it would be less messy out there," he said as he came in from outside. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "It should be hot enough that you can just drop the chicken in after you bread it."

"You aren't staying to help me?" she asked when she saw that he wasn't taking off his coat.

"No, sorry. I have a thing." JJ sheepishly kicked at the floor.

Jennifer hugged him and smiled. "A Paige thing?"

He nodded and smiled.

"Okay, fine. I hope you two kids can work it out. You remind me so much of me and Daniel."

"I just hope we get a happier ending than you guys. I still can't believe he's gone."

"I don't think I've accepted it quite yet, Honey. It feels like he'll come walking through that door any moment," Jennifer said before kissing her son on the forehead. "But you worry about you. I'm the parent. It's my job to take care of you, not the other way around."

"Okay, Mom." JJ hugged her again, gave a sad little smile, then left.

Looking around the kitchen, Jennifer braced herself. It was so quiet. She stepped outside and saw that JJ did have the deep fryer running. Before she brought the chicken out, she needed to check the temperature. Her son meant well but was never the brightest bulb.

There was a snap and Jennifer looked away from the deep fryer to another person in the yard. "Hi! What're you doing here?"

Jennifer didn't get an answer, just a baseball bat to the face. Her nose was smashed in and several teeth knocked out.

"What is wrong with you? Why would you..." she cried between her fingers. Then recognition flashed in her eyes. "It was YOU! You killed Daniel and Serena. But why?"

The only reply Jennifer got was another blow from the bat.

Days

Eric's apartment was clean. It didn't look like he had run or been taken: there was no sign of struggle and nothing had been packed. He just just gone. Hope had no idea what could have happened to him. She suspected that Nicole was involved, though. Nicole was as responsible for Eric's vanishing as she was Serena and Daniel's murders.

"Nothing, Jenkins. Not a damn thing. We have a man go missing at the same time as two murders. They have to be connected. They have to," Hope kicked Eric's coffee table and sat on his sofa. "We need to find out when Eric disappeared and what Nicole was doing at the time."

"Nicole Walker? The main suspect of the murders?" Jenkins sat next to Hope and scratched his head. "What does she have to do with your missing nephew?"

"It's a long story. But the short version is that she hurt him worse than anyone else ever has."

Days

"Here you go," Nicole said as she handed the old lady a cup of coffee. "Be careful. It's hot."

"Thank you," the woman said as she took the cup and walked away.

Nicole smiled as she watched the old woman wander off into the park. She sat on the bench, feeling proud of herself.

"Nicole?" Brady was in a tracksuit and looked like he had been running. He even started running in place as theyy conversed. "What are you doing out here?"

"Every day about this time, I meet this sweet old lady and buy her a cup of coffee. I don't remember how it happened, but Mrs. Stepperson is about the only constant I have these days."

Brady stopped his running in place and stared at Nicole. "Did you say Mrs. Stepperson? About this high and wears a big grey scarf and yellow raincoat all the time?"

"That's her," Nicole nodded, positively beaming. "She's such a sweet old thing."

"You stupid bitch! What the hell is wrong with you!" Brady screamed at Nicole. "Mrs. Stepperson isn't supposed to have caffeine. Everyone knows that. She used to be a teacher at Salem High but had to retire because of a heart condition."

Mouth agape, Nicole stared at Brady. "I didn't know. She was just some old lady."

"She is not just some old lady, Nicole. She's an institution in Salem and you're trying to kill her. How can you sleep at night?" Brady glared at Nicole and ran off, his eyes locked onto her until he ran into a low hanging tree branch.

She just sighed.

Days 

"Cuz? Are you home? I'm sure you've probably already heard from Melanie, but I still need to tell you." Hope knocked extra loud after she opened the door. "Jennifer?"

She made her way into the kitchen. Jennifer didn't answer her phone when Hope called, but she'd run into JJ and he said his mother was home cooking.

There was an uncooked chicken still sitting in the sink defrosting, but Hope could smell something. Or, more accurately, she could smell something burning.

When she stepped outside and saw the deep fryer, Hope fought the urge to scream. There was blood all over the backyard, and one side of the deep fryer was covered, though it had dried and blackened. Slowly, Hope pulled out her gun and advanced into the yard.

"My name is Hope Brady and I'm with the Salem PD. If there's anyone there, I need you to come out with your hands in the air. NOW!" She yelled. There was nothing. Holding her gun with one hand, Hope reached into her pocket and withdrew her glasses and put them on.

Looking all around, Hope crept up on the fryer and tried to remove the lid with her free hand but it was too hot. She holstered her gun and took off her jacket, using it as a makeshift potholder to lift the lid. When she looked into the deep fryer and saw her cousin's dead, fried eyes looking back up at her, Hope dropped the lid and pulled her gun back out. As she made her way back to the house, she called Jenkins on her cell.

"I need a squad at the Horton house immediately, Jenkins. We have another murder victim. It looks like it might be a serial killer."

After hanging up on Jenkins, Hope closed the door and collapsed against it, sliding down to the kitchen floor. Nicole Walker would not get away with this. Hope swore on it.


	5. Chapter 5

"Have you seen Will lately?"

Chad blinked rapidly and looked around the empty club before realizing that Sonny was talking to him. "I'm sorry?"

"Will. My husband and your best friend. Have you seen him?" Sonny asked, sitting at the bar and looking over the menu. "He hasn't been home since I... He hasn't been home and all Ari does is cry and I can't take it anymore."

"I really couldn't care less," Chad admitted with a shrug. "If I were Will, I would've jumped on the first dick I saw and rode as far away from you as possible. And, to be honest, I hear that it's exactly what he did."

"You really are quite the Dimera bastard, aren't you?" Sonny sat the menu down and glared at Chad. "Would it kill you to show a little sympathy every now and then?"

Shaking his head, Chad leaned down on the bar and smiled. He looked directly into Sonny's eyes and saw the hurt and confusion. His smile grew. "No, it wouldn't kill me, but it would bore me. Maybe if you were more interesting, Will wouldn't be sleeping his way through the phone book."

"What do you know about Will's sexual habits?"

Looking off to the side, Chad remembered his tryst with his friend. He smirked, blinked, then looked back to Sonny. "I know that they aren't happening with you."

"Go to hell, Chad." Sonny stood up and stormed out of the club.

"Little does he know I'm well on my way there," Chad bragged as he checked his reflection in the blackened screen of his phone.

Days

"Melanie! Hurry up! We're going to be late for your dad's funeral!" Brady called from the foyer.

"I'm coming. I'm coming!" Melanie yelled from the top of the stairs. It wasn't her fault that roller skates didn't work on carpet. "Give me a couple minutes. I need to grab something."

"Two minutes!" Brady yelled back. "I'll be waiting in the car."

Melanie tried to skate to the room Victor and Maggie had set aside for her, staying at Daniel's was too hard, but the wheels refused to move so she stomped her way there. She had to get her father's pooka shell necklace. It was only right that he be buried with it.

After finding the necklace, Melanie stomped her way back to the stairs where she saw someone waiting for her. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to be the one to take you to your father," the person answered, a gloved hand on the railing.

"Brady's taking me and you shouldn't be here."

"Fine, I'll leave, but you're going first." The figure stepped away from the railing, grabbed Melanie by the arm, and proceeded to throw her down the stairs.

Days

"I always told her to wear her helmet," Maggie told Hope as she wiped away tears. "My granddaughter fell down the stairs and died the day of her father's funeral. Oh, Hope. She had Daniel's necklace in her hand."

"Was Nicole there?" Hope asked. "I bet she was."

"What does Nicole have to do with Melanie falling down the stairs? It's my fault for letting her wear roller skates in the house. I should've been stricter with her. Melanie was such a special girl, you know."

"Yeah. Special. Girl. Did I tell you that Jennifer was hacked up and put in a deep fryer in her own backyard?" Hope pulled out her glasses and put them on as she stared Maggie down. "There's a serial killer loose in Salem and I'm pretty sure it's Nicole. She hates all of the victims. And Eric is missing."

"A serial killer? Oh, Hope, it's never good when we get one of those. Remember that thing with the island?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You know, Mela..."

BANG!

"Did you just fire your gun?"

"I thought I saw a mouse," Hope explained as she holstered her firearm. "Now, Aunt Maggie, I need to you think really hard and tell me that Nicole was at the Kiriakis mansion. Melanie didn't fall: Nicole pushed her. There is no other possible explanation."

"But Hope..."

BANG!

"There was a moth." Hope sat her gun in her lap and took off her glasses. "Aunt Maggie, do you remember Nicole being at the mansion?"

"I'm sorry. I don't."

Hope put her glasses back on. "Thanks for nothing, Aunt Maggie. Because of you Jennifer died in vain."

Days

"God, don't you just love it here?" Anne asked as she poured wine into a glass. She handed it to Theresa, who declined and snatched the bottle instead.

"This high mortality rate the last few days has been such a blessing," Theresa said, raising the bottle in the air. "To whoever killed all those bitches."

"To whoever killed all those bitches," Anne echoed as she clinked her glass against the bottle. Then they both burst out laughing.

"Did you hear that Jennifer's dead? My aunt Hope Brady is her cousin and found her mutilated body or something. It was supposed to be really gruesome." Theresa took a long swig from the bottle.

"I had no idea anything was wrong with this Jennifer. This is great news!"

"You didn't notice that she wasn't at work today?"

"Jennifer was never at work while she was alive. Why would being murdered change that?" Anne snorted. This caused Theresa to begin guffawing as well.

Theresa took another drink, then refilled Anne's glass. "I really do hope I can shake this killer's had, though. He or she is doing the world a favour."

"Fuck the world. The killer is doing US a favour!" Anne cheered, causing Theresa to clap in agreement.

Then the hospital PA went off. It was the head nurse Maxine asking for five seconds of silence in memory of the departed hospital staff. Anne and Theresa burst out laughing at the same time.

Days

"Did you miss me, Father?" The thing that wore Will's skin draped itself across Eric's back.

Maintaining his position, Eric did his best to ignore the creature and continue repeating the Prayer of Serenity. It was the only prayer that seemed appropriate for his current situation.

"You aren't listening to me," it pouted before leaning forward and biting down on Eric's collarbone.

"AAAH!" Eric shouted as he pushed the thing away.

"Hmm. You're lucky that I learned to enjoy it rough, Father," Not Will said as it wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"...courage to change the things I can..." Eric repeated without skipping a beat. He was aware of the thing hovering curiously around him.

"And the wisdom to know the difference!" It clapped loudly, finally drawing Eric's attention. "I love that one. So many people recite it before they invoke me."

"Why are you here?" Eric asked, forgetting that he was trying to ignore the creature that was keeping him captive. "What exactly is your master plan? All you seem to do is seduce me. There has to be more to you than that."

"Hmm. You know something? You're right. I haven't been doing enough evil deeds," Not Will said before snapping his fingers. The floor disappeared from underneath Eric, but he didn't fall. The whole room began to change, the walls bleeding into the floor and ceiling. "I have spent too long entertaining myself with these sinful pleasures of the flesh. Especially your flesh. There is a reason I am here. I'm here for her."

"Who?" Eric whispered as he began to levitate over what used to be the floor. "Who are you after?"

Not Will seemed to glide to Eric, Eric's body spinning in tandem with the index finger. "Surely you know that one already."

"My m-" Eric never got to finish saying it because Will's hand was clamped over his mouth.

"He's got it, but let's not ruin the mood. I'll finally put my plan into action soon, but I'm going to enjoy myself. One. Last. Time."

Then Will's lips replaced his hand and Eric forgot any thoughts of resistance.

Days

"I'm here, Eric. I got your text message. What do you want?" Nicole was cold. It probably wasn't the best idea to wear a sleeveless sky blue cocktail dress in the middle of winter, but she was certain her dayglo orange faux fur coat and mustard yellow jeggings would've been enough to protect her from the cold. She was wrong.

"Eric isn't here."

"YOU?!" Nicole gasped and pulled her coat tight in a futile attempt fight the cold. "Why are you on the rooftop of Salem University Hospital?"

"Because of you. I've done so much work these last few days, and you're taking all of the credit. I can't have that. You're ruining all of my plans."

"I have no idea what you're... Wait. You killed Daniel and Serena? But why? Aren't you supposed to..."

Nicole never got to finish her sentence. The sound of a gun firing filled the air. The force of the bullet striking Nicole's chest was enough to send her toppling off the edge of the roof.

The sound of a finger snapping preceded Will's arrival.

"This wasn't part of the plan."

"She was getting in my way."

Will frowned, but then it slowly evolved into a mischievous smile. "You know, I think I can make this work for both of us after all."


	6. Chapter 6

"The doctors say Nicole is gonna survive, but they're not sure if she'll ever wake up." Hope rubbed her forehead and then put on her glasses. "She's very lucky that Paige Larsen was there to break her fall."

"Shame the poor girl died. She's gonna need a closed casket funeral after what the collision did to her face."

"Paige's face wasn't damaged," Hope explained to her confused colleague. It was ridiculous. That poor girl died because of Nicole's recklessness. But still, there was something...

Hope was also confused. If Nicole wasn't the killer, and she hadn't ruled out the possibility that Nicole shot herself and jumped off the hospital roof to throw the police off her trail, then who else could it be?

Theresa Donovan. It all fit. Every person that Nicole had tried to kill was also an enemy of Theresa's, but Theresa wasn't connected to Eric's disappearance so that couldn't be it. Or was she?

"Jenkins, I need you to look into what could connect Theresa Donovan to Eric Brady."

"Besides them being cousins, Ma'am?" Jenkins asked. "I thought you would have known that since, y'know, you're their aunt."

"I can't keep track of who is and isn't related in this town, Jenkins. I'm a detective, not a biologist. Now get on it."

Jenkins nodded and scurried out of Hope's office. She needed a cigarette. 

Days

"Your husband was at the club earlier. He says you haven't been home. Your daughter's been crying."

"I don't care," Will said as he sauntered into Chad's office, closing the door behind him. "That bore and the brat aren't a concern for me anymore."

"I tried to tell him that, but he wouldn't listen." Chad shook his head and tutted his tongue. "How'd you get past security? Dimera Enterprises usually doesn't let folks wander in off the street without a appointment. Nice outfit, by the way."

"Thank you." Will grinned as he struck a pose for Chad. It occurred to Chad that he had never seen his friend wear a suit and tie before, and the deep red colour really stood out in the blue room. "Let's just say I have my ways. I don't wanna give away more than that. We all need our secrets. You can appreciate the value of a good secret."

Raising his eyebrows, Chad smirked. "I'm assuming one of your secrets is raw steak. You've healed up nicely since the last time I saw you."

"Hmm." Will licked his lips and leaned across Chad's desk so that their faces were inches apart. "As much as I'd love to reminisce about the past, there are some pressing matters we need to deal with in the present. I need a favour. It's something only you can do."

Will lowered his eyes and bit his bottom lip. Unable to resist, Chad reached up and pulled his head back with one hand and wrapped the other around Will's throat. As he began squeezing, he could feel Will shudder. It was intoxicating.

"And just who do you think you are to ask anything of me? I'm a Dimera." Chad thrust Will away, the other man stumbling and falling to the floor. After rising from his seat, he unfastened his belt, pulled it from around his waist, and wrapped it around his fist. He then walked to where Will lay on his back and pressed the heel of his shoe against Will's throat. "I asked you a question."

"As much fun as this would be, and believe me it would, I don't have time for that. I need you for business, not pleasure." Will patted Chad's calf. Realizing there would be no play, he relented. "Speaking of business, why is the CEO of Dimera Enterprises in such a small, blue room?"

"Budget cuts," Chad explained as he began to put his belt back on, feeling disappointed. He leaned down and helped Will to his feet. "What do you need, Will?"

"Nicole Walker is in Salem University Hospital. I need you to tell my grandmother that she knows where Uncle Ericis. And to meet me there."

"Why can't you tell her yourself? I'm sure Kate is in the building now and she always has her cell. Just call her."

Will shook his head and grabbed Chad's wrist. He pulled it close, playing with a cufflink and smiling. "Not Kate. Doctor Marlena Evans. I can't go to her, not now. She has to come to me. It's of the utmost importance. Just tell her I'll be in Nicole's room tonight at midnight and that I need to see her alone."

"This sounds shady, Will," Chad noted, not really objecting. "What's in it for me?"

Releasing the cufflink, Will licked his lips again and used Chad's hand to smack his own face. "I'll give you two guesses."

Days

"Why would I kill any of these people?" Theresa yawned, fanning herself with a flier for the annual church bake sale. Her legs were crossed, but her feet were propped up on Hope's desk. "I mean, I don't care that any of them are dead, but that doesn't mean that I did it. If I were going to kill them, why would I wait so long?"

Hope took off her glasses and considered Theresa's point. She was one to go big or go home: if Theresa was going to kill these people, it would be all at once with a bomb or poisoned lattes. No, Hope was certain that Nicole was the one killing the most virtuous citizens of Salem. Theresa was just an opportunistic cunt.

Still, there was no gun on the top of the roof or the area surrounding the hospital. The evidence which had previously pointed to Nicole now fingered Theresa. But Theresa had no cause to shoot Nicole, no matter how much she had it coming. Something was not adding up.

"What were you doing last night at 9pm?" Hope put her glasses back on and picked up a pen.

"Getting drunk off my ass and throwing darts at a picture of Daniel Jonas with Anne Milbauer. Call her, she'll tell you. I totally won when I busted out a throwing star and landed it between his eyes."

"Theresa, you have a record of animosity with everyone that has been murdered, but why would you try to kill Nicole Walker? Explain it to me." Hope looked her niece in the eyes. "I know we were only related through marriage, and your uncle left me for no readily discernible reason, but for me to help you, you have to answer my questions."

Scoffing, Theresa crumbled up the church flier and dropped it on the floor. "Listen, Aunt Hope or whatever I'm supposed to call you in this touching family moment, I killed nobody. Nobody. I've answered your questions and it apparently isn't good enough for you. So either arrest me or let me go home. I'm missing SVU. I hear a bitch gets beaten with a bag of oranges in a prison cell!"

Coughing, Hope took off her glasses, looked at them, and put them back on. "Very well. I think that's enough for tonight. Don't leave town. We'll follow up later. Thank you for coming in."

"Yeah, whatever. Just keep sending that Jenkins character around. I love chocolate," Theresa said before leaving Hope's office.

Days

Marlena sensed it the moment she walked through the doors of the hospital: there was something old, dark, and familiar hanging about the air. She couldn't figure out what it was, but it made her shudder and pull her neon pink coat tight.

"Excuse me," she said to the nurse operating the reception desk. "I need to know which room is Nicole Walker's. I've been called in for an emergency consultation."

Even though she hated lying, Marlena did it without a second thought. Out of all her children, Eric was the most important. Well, next to Carrie. And Belle was definitely in the top three. Regardless, she had to do everything in her power to help him.

After getting the room number from the nurse, Marlena boarded the elevator. The air around her grew more and more oppressive the higher up she travelled. By the time the elevator finally stopped on her designated floor, Marlena was barely able to breathe. She stumbled out into the hospital hallway as soon as the doors opened, using the opposing wall to support herself. Her vision was weak and she waited a moment for whatever was happening to pass.

By the time her strength returned, Marlena released it was five minutes until midnight. Will was waiting on her. She didn't know what they could do to find Eric since Nicole was in a coma, but whatever he needed she would provide.

"Hello, Grandmother," Will greeted when Marlena entered the room. She found it odd that Will had been allowed to stay so late after visiting hours, but she found it odder that he didn't look up at her. He kept his eyes locked on Nicole's face as he held her hand. "I'm glad that Chad got to you in time."

"Will, Honey, he said that you know something about what happened Eric and that it has to do with Nicole. Please, if you know something, you should tell the police. They can help your Uncle more than either one of us." Marlena grabbed a chair that was sitting by the wall and dragged it over to Nicole's bedside. He still didn't look at her. "Darling, what is it? What does Nicole have to do with Eric?"

"Just wait," Will said softly. He raised Nicole's hand to his lips and kissed it. "I'll tell you everything, but we need to wait just a few more minutes. Someone else will be here soon."

"Who, William? Who else is coming? Why did you have Chad Dimera relay a message instead of coming to me? None of this makes any sense."

Will said nothing. He lowered Nicole's hand back to her bed and closed his eyes. They sat in silence, Marlena debating internally as to what her grandson was doing. This wasn't the Will she knew. He was never cryptic with her, especially not about family.

When the old church bells rang, indicating that it was midnight, Will finally looked at Marlena. She screamed.

"NO!" she cried, the chair clattering to the floor as she stood and ran to the hospital room door. It refused to open and she began beating on it. When nobody came, she turned around, flipped her hair, and held her hand to her chest in shock. "It can't be you. IT CAN'T BE!"

"I'm so pleased you remember me, Marlena. It's been so long that I was afraid you'd forgotten." Will stayed by Nicole's side, caressing her face with the back of his hand. "There were so many I could have used to return. She would have been the easiest after this whole town broke her again and again, but it had to be someone close to you. It had to be someone who would hurt you."

Marlena gasped and slammed the hand that wasn't on her chest against the wall. "NO! Not Will. I won't let you have him. He's too kind and pure. If you were to take someone from me, you could have at least taken Sami."

The thing that was not Will snapped Will's fingers and the hospital room began to melt away. The wall under Marlena's fingers ceased to be. Blackness surrounded Will, Marlena, and Nicole. Not knowing what else to do, Marlena began screaming again until they were in a room made of stone with no doors or windows, just a single light overhead with no switch or chain to shut it off.

"Mom!" The sound of Eric's voice broke Marlena out of her stupor. She saw her son chained to the wall on the opposite side of the room, dressed as though he were still a priest. Eric looked from his mother to that which was not Will. "You monster. Why would you bring my mother here? WHY?!"

"You know why," Not Will responded as he wheeled Nicole's bed over to Eric. Marlena was unable to move. "I told you before that this was all about her. It's about she who escaped me."

"Abomination!" Eric spat at Not Will. "Devil."

"We've had this chat before." Will's hand rand along the border of Nicole bed's as he stopped pushing the bed and walked towards Eric. "I am not Satan or Lucifer or the Devil. I am everything that ever was or ever could be. I am infinite possibilities. I am the great I Am."

Her voice and motor skills were gone. Marlena could only watch as the thing in Will's form squatted next to Eric and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Please. Not now. Now with her here," Eric begged as tears ran down his face.

"By 'her', do you mean our beloved Marlena? Or do you mean Nicole? You haven't said a thing about her. You haven't even acknowledged her presence. Why, Uncle Eric? Don't you care about Nicole?" Marlena watched as Will's hand snaked its way under Eric's chin and raised his head so that Eric had to look into Will's eyes. "Didn't you love her once? Don't you care?"

"Stop." Eric's pleading fell on deaf ears. Marlena could only watch as Will's lips turned upward into a grin.

"Oh, I see. You don't love her. And after I brought her here just for you..." Will's voice reverberated through the small room. The words shook Marlena to her very core. "Well then, I see how it is."

And Marlena watched as the thing that was not her grandson kissed his uncle. It was vile and repulsive, but she couldn't stop watching as her son fought against the evil thing that pretended to be Will. She did manage to find the strength to avert her eyes when Eric succumbed to the beast's advances.

"Don't think I've forgotten about you, Marlena. All of this, every bit of it, is for you. To ruin you the way you did me."

"Good always triumphs over evil," Marlena declared, finding her voice. "I beat you once. I will do it again!"

"You humans always think of things in terms of good and evil." Will laughed as he held Eric's head to his chest, stroking his hair. "This isn't that, my dear Marlena. This is revenge. I'm going to destroy everything in your life and you're going to have to sit here and watch."

Will's fingers snapped and a large screen appeared on the wall behind Marlena. She turned and back away, watching the screen as Eric ripped off Will's clothes. "No..."

"Oh yes. That is the past. and there is so much more to come," Will boasted. Then Marlena heard the snapping of fingers once more and turned back to look at Not Will but he was gone.

Days

"Nicole's gone missing," Hope told Jenkins as she stared at the empty hospital room. The monitors were still there, but the bed and its patient had both vanished. "She likely woke up and ran off."

"What about the bed?" Jenkins walked over and stood in the empty space, waving his arms. "If she got up and left, which is next to impossible considering she was shot and fell off the hospital roof, why would she take the bed with her?"

"It's Nicole Walker, Jenkins. She's always stealing things." Hope put her glasses on and crossed her arms. She didn't know how Nicole managed to escape, but the fact that she ran at all was proof enough that she was the serial killer. Even if it was the last thing Hope did, she would bring Nicole to justice.


	7. Chapter 7

"I knew it, Jenkins." Hope put her glasses on and looked at her fellow officer. "The murders aren't over. Nicole is still out there."

"I still think the Dimeras are involved, Ma'am," Jenkins said as they leaned over the body. "It could have been part of a blood feud between the Dimeras and the Kiriakiseseses... However you say the plural of those people."

Snapping on her gloves, Hope examined the fragments of glass around the skull. "You forget that Nicole was a Dimera, Jenkins. Twice. They probably still have some affection for her. Like attracts like, after all. What do you think this is?"

Holding up a scrap of paper, Hope tried to made out what it said underneath the dried blood.

"What does 'Baari' mean, Jenkins?"

"It's 'Bacardi', Ma'am." Jenkins took the paper from Hope and put it into an evidence bag. "The victim was struck over the head with a full bottle of Bacardi. After she was rendered unconscious, the killer must've poured the liquor down her throat to drown her, then busted the bottle and used it to slice her throat open. This paper is the label."

"Poor Aunt Maggie." Hope wanted to touch her, but she didn't want to contaminate the crime scene. "If only you had told me that you'd seen Nicole kill Melanie, we could've stopped her. May you rest in peace."

Hope took off her gloves and handed them to Jenkins, then took off her glasses. Nicole was still out there, killing the people that Hope loved. She was done playing games. She was going to stop Nicole before another life was lost.

Days

"Hey, Brady." Will sat next to his step-uncle. Brady looked up at him, but he couldn't really tell it was Will. Ever since he heard about Maggie... All Brady could find the strength to do was cry. First Daniel, then Melanie, now Maggie. This serial killer had taken away everyone that mattered to him one by one.

"Hey, Will." Brady sniffed and wiped his nose on the back of his hand, then wiped that on his pant leg.

"You humans are so strange sometimes," Will observed. Brady blinked, but before he could say anything Will was handing him a helmet. "It's Melanie's; it was at my apartment. I guess she helped Sonny out with the kid before he moved into back into the Kiriakis mansion. I didn't want it cluttering up my place, so I thought you'd want it back."

Smiling through his tears, Brady accepted the offering. "I miss her."

"You do?" Will perked up and took the helmet back from Brady. Not knowing what was going on, Brady just sat there as Will put the helmet on his head and fastened the straps in place. "I know how much trouble you have with these things."

Will rapped his fingers against the side of Brady's head, the sound of his knuckles hitting the plastic singing amidst the birds and plant life.

"Thanks. It's something small like this that really makes you feel close to someone, you know? Melanie and I, back when she was still alive, we used to use this thing a lot. I had my own, mind you, but we'd have Aunt Maggie help put them on and we'd go in the back yard and charge at each other. Whoever fell first was the loser. I won about two thirds of the time."

It was a sad smile, but it was still a smile. Brady appreciated that Will had helped him remember how to smile. Reaching over, he pulled his step-nephew into a hug.

"Do you want to do that again?" Will asked, embracing Brady back. After they broke away, Will looked slightly confused. "There is nothing with this one. Maybe it's because of the diminished faculties."

"Right? I keep saying the park needs a bathroom, but nobody will tell me who to talk to about it. There is a port-a-potty, but there's a homeless guy who lives there and he won't let you use it unless you give him unicorn hair. Do you know how hard it is to find unicorns in Salem? I've been looking for two years now and I only ever found a pegasus. I thought that would be good enough, but the homeless guy can tell the difference and he ran me off while calling me a fraud."

Will just kinda stared at Brady without blinking for several minutes. Brady stared back because he loved staring contests. He and Melanie used to have them all the time.

"Ah, yes, I forgot." Will looked away and Brady cheered. He loved winning things. While Brady celebrated, Will reached into the interior pocket of his crimson suit jacket. "Brady, what would you do if I told you that you could see Melanie again? What if you could give her back that helmet that you're wearing?"

"You can't do that Will. Melanie's dead. You can't come back from the dead unless you're a vampire or a zombie or a Dimera or Jack Devereaux. It's impossible."

"I didn't say that she would come here. She won't return to Salem, but you can go to her."

"But she's dead."

"I know that," Will sighed. He withdrew his hand out of his pocket and slid the contents into Brady's hand. "This is how you'll get to see Melanie again."

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Brady looked at the knife in his hand. He wasn't allowed to use knives. Maggie didn't even let him use forks after what happened to Johnny's glass eye at Thanksgiving.

"I think you know." Will closed Brady's fingers over the blade, then patted his cheek. "I really do hope you get to see Melanie again."

Standing up, Will began to walk away and Brady opened his fingers. He stared at the knife until he heard a snapping sound. Brady looked up but found that he was all alone.

Days

"What is wrong with you?!" JJ Devereaux yelled as he stormed into the hospital break room. He pointed a finger in Theresa's face and continued screaming at her. "How could you do that to my mother?!"

"Like I told Aunt Hope, I didn't kill anybody. Now get that finger away from me before I'm unable to keep saying that," Theresa snarled. She rolled her eyes and looked over to Anne's empty seat. Where was her backup when she needed her?

"Not that, Theresa. Hope told me that they know Nicole is the serial killer. They're going to bring her to justice. What I'm talking about is this!"

JJ pulled his phone out and brought up a picture. When Theresa saw it, she burst out laughing.

"It's not funny. How could you desecrate my mother's memory like that? We haven't even had the funeral yet!" JJ stomped his feet and grabbed Theresa by the arm. She used her free hand to smash her macaroni and cheese in his face.

"First of all, you are never touching me again. I will kill you if you try that shit. And second, I'm not the one who shit on your mom's corpse. I wish it had been me, but now I'll just look like a copycat. This is really upsetting." Theresa sighed and resumed her lunch. "That was the last of the mac &amp; cheese. Asshole."

After wiping his face clean, JJ swore up and down that he would end Theresa then stormed out of the cafeteria. Shortly after that, Anne rushed in looking ecstatic.

"I've gotta tell you something. It's big but you can't tell anyone else."

"Is it that you broke into a funeral home and shat on Jennifer Horton's corpse?" Theresa guessed as she mourned her mac and cheese. She should've slammed her pudding in JJ's face instead.

"How'd you know?" Anne sat down across from Theresa and snatched the cookie from Theresa's tray. "I cut the power to the alarms and the cameras. Nobody was there to see me."

"JJ Devereaux was just in here ranting and crying or whatever. He was blaming me, but I was here last night drawing penises on that portrait of Daniel Jonas that they hung up above the nurses' station."

Splitting the cookie in half, Anne offered the smaller piece to Theresa. "Sorry you took the brunt of this one."

Shrugging, Theresa took the cookie and sat it on her lunch tray. "The Devereaux clan would blame me for the Twilight Saga if any of them knew how to read. Don't worry about it."

"What's wrong, Pumpkin? You usually don't let those lemmings get you down."

"The cafeteria is out of mac &amp; cheese," Theresa pouted as she reluctantly stabbed at her pudding with her fork.

"Well, let's go to that chicken place in the town square. They sell mac &amp; cheese, too, and they're offering a ten percent discount all week to anyone who mentions Jennifer Horton."

"At least the bitch is finally good for something."

Days

John Black had as many jobs as he did origins. This week, he had decided that he wanted to be CEO of Basic Black again. As he sat in his tiny blue office, one of the doors opened and his step-grandson entered.

"Hello there, William. How are you? Have you seen your grandmother? She never came back to the penthouse last night." John looked up from his paperwork and saw that Will wasn't alone. "Why would you bring a Dimera here?"

"We're friends," Chad boasted, slinging his arm around Will's shoulder. "And you and I are family. Or we were. I can't keep track."

"How do you think I feel?" John snarled in Chad's direction, his eyebrow rising in frustration. "What are you doing here?"

"I invited him. See, Chad and I, we have a partnership going. He's done a lot for me, so I thought it was time to repay the favour."

"What does that have to do with me?" John yelled, slamming his fists on the desk and throwing all the papers on it to the floor. "I won't work with a Dimera! Not even for you."

"Not with. For." Chad slapped a hand to Will's chest and laughed. "Go on. Do it."

Will walked away from Chad, and for the first time John focused on his step-grandson. It was when he looked into Will's inhuman eyes that John knew just what was happening. However, before he could react, Will was already whispering in his ear.

"Dena Higley."

After the words left Will's lips, John began grunting and fighting himself. He flipped his desk and slammed into the wall, which wobbled under his might. It was a battle he would never be able to win.

After it was over, Will looked to Chad and smiled. "I think this makes us even."

"For now," Chad agreed as he reached into the pocket of his suit and produced an envelope. "I'm shocked you came up with this idea."

"What can I say? The Dimera family is nothing compared to my mother. I'm just trying to live up to her legacy." Will's eyes flashed at John, who stood straight as an arrow. "I'd like to think that she would approve of this."

"Sami would be proud of you. But how did you know his keywords?" Chad waved a hand in front of John's face but got no reaction. "How does he work?"

"You know I can't tell you all of my secrets." Will sat on the edge of the overturned desk and buffered his nails on his suit jacket. "As for The Pawn, all you have to do is give him an order. He was trained to obey any Dimera. The fact that nobody knew you existed at the time is irrelevant. Just be aware that there is a hierarchy. If Stefano tells him something, The Pawn will disregard any and all conflicting orders."

"You know a lot about how this works."

"John Black and I have history you know nothing about," Will told Chad, his eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. "If my plans for Salem are to succeed, then I need him out of the way."

"Our plans," Chad corrected as he looked to his friend. "I'm in this until the end."

"You may someday regret those words," Will warned, looking at his nails and blowing them clean of dust. "Things are about to get really ugly really fast."

"All I have to do is give him an order?" Chad asked, ignoring Will's warning. He pressed the envelope into John's hand and spoke clearly. "Thirty minutes after we leave, you will open this. There is a plane ticket. You will board the flight, and once you are on the plane, you will read the letter that is also in this envelope. You will destroy the letter, but do exactly as it says. Do you understand?"

"Orders have been received," John answered, his voice flat and emotionless.

"Good. Good. Now start cleaning this mess you made." Chad turned his back to John and held a hand out to Will, who took it and pulled himself to his feet. "Now, you and I are going to discuss these plans you have for Salem and see just how we can align them with mine."


	8. Chapter 8

"Theresa, you need to talk to me." Hope was trying her best to get through to her niece, but Theresa was being so stubborn that she was going to get a prison sentence for something she didn't do.

"I said I want my lawyer," Theresa repeated defiantly, arms crossed over her chest.

No matter what Hope said, it wasn't going to change anything. Two more victims of the Salem serial killer killer were found, and neither was linked to Nicole. Even though Hope knew deep in her gut that Nicole Walker had done it, Theresa was the one who had publicly made threats toward one of the victims.

"Fine." Hope took off her glasses and left the interrogation room. She slammed the door behind her and leaned against it, pinching the bridge of her nose with her index finger and thumb.

"Did she confess?" Hope half-expected it to be Jenkins talking to her, but he was filing the paperwork on the latest murders. "Did she admit to killing my brother and her sister?"

"Abby..." Hope didn't have the words to tell her that she thought Theresa was innocent. Too many things didn't add up for Theresa to be the killer. It didn't help that Eve and JJ had no direct connection to Nicole but were connected to Theresa. "I can't discuss that with you."

"I know," Abby sniffed, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. "It's just that my dad, my mom, and now my brother are all dead. I'm all alone."

"And I'm sorry about that, Honey. Do you want me to stay over with you tonight?"

"I want you to tell me how nobody knew that my brother and Eve Donovan were fucking. God, just thinking about it makes me wish that Theresa had killed me, too."

Grabbing Abby, Hope pulled her into a hug. "Don't think like that. Don't you ever think like that. I don't want to lose you, too. And it wasn't like JJ and Eve ran all over town yelling at the top of their voices that were sleeping together."

"I know. You're right. And I'll be fine tonight. I'm staying over at Ben's. Theresa won't dare attack me there. Besides, you have her locked up."

And then it clicked. Hope knew why JJ and Eve didn't fit the profile. Nicole was trying to frame Theresa. She initially chose targets that both of them had grudges against, but after she realized Hope was onto her Nicole must have realized Theresa was also under suspicion and targeted people connected to Theresa. This was the work of an evil genius, but she didn't know that Hope was onto her.

"Even so, be careful tonight. I'll to keep Theresa in holding, but without any physical evidence tying her to any of the murders a judge won't let us hold her. Especially now that she's requested a lawyer."

Abigail's eyes grew three times their usual size and she backed out of Hope's embrace. "If she... If she gets out, you'll warn me, right?"

"Would you like a police escort? I can pout Jenkins on it. He's been invaluable to this case."

Shaking her head, Abigail offered a small smile. "No, Hope. I refuse to be afraid of her. Theresa Donovan won't stop me from living my life. Just remember to call me if she gets released."

Nodding, Hope reached out and held Abigail's hand. "Of course I will. Just remember to lock your door regardless. There is still a chance, no matter how small, that someone else is the killer."

Then Abigail's eyes narrowed angrily. "I see. I'll lock my doors, but you need to keep that monster locked up. If she gets free, she will try to kill me."

Letting go of Hope's hand, Abigail stormed out of the police station. Hope cursed Nicole's name. There was no way she was going to let Abigail die like all the others. Even if it cost Hope her own life, she was going to bring Nicole Walker to justice and bring her nephew Eric home and stop all of these killings.

Days

"You know you missed this," Not Will said as it ran his hands through Eric's sweaty hair. Eric savoured the taste of him as they kissed. He had missed this: he missed everything about it. The sounds and the scents were an intoxicating cocktail, but the touch was what lingered in his memory. He ran his hands along Will's back, the skin under his fingers slick with sweat.

"Of course," Eric agreed when he was allowed to breathe. Later, when the thing that was not Will was gone, Eric would hate himself, but for now all he could do was be honest. He did enjoy these moments he where he was allowed to throw inhibition and consequences to the side and just act.

The absence Eric felt when the thing in Will's body climbed off of him was more than physical. His bindings returned with a snap of Will's fingers, as did both of their clothes. When he wore the clothes of his former calling, Eric felt more soiled than he had when he'd been left wearing nothing at all. As the euphoria of the consummation faded, Eric looked to his mother and wanted to cry.

Even though it hadn't worked, Marlena had tried to free her son from his chains. Not Will had laughed and snapped his fingers when he reappeared in the dungeon and caught them. Now he kept Marlena in a cage and made sure to put on a show for her whenever he decided to return.

"I would stay longer, but I am so busy these days. So many lives to ruin, so many lives to end."

Not Will leaned down for another kiss, and Eric's mind was still clouded enough that he acquiesced. The it went on, the more felt himself getting drawn back into it.

"Later," Not Will promised after breaking away from Eric. Then it bowed to Marlena and looked at over at Nicole. It had been days, or so Eric thought, but there was no change. Nicole just continued to sleep.

The thing that was not Will snapped his fingers once more and vanished. Marlena said nothing. She hadn't spoken in days: not since the first time she had seen Not Will and Eric in action. Eric had long since given up on trying to get her to say something, so he just sat there and let the self-loathing consume him.

Days

Abigail was in the hallway sobbing when Hope arrived. She put on her glasses and offered her young cousin a kerchief so she could wipe her face. "Thanks for taking care of her Jenkins. I'll talk to her while you question neighbours and see if they saw anything. This could be our big break."

Nodding, Jenkins handed Hope his notepad and walked into the elevator. Through the open apartment door, Hope could see the carnage. It was ungodly.

"Abby, can you pull yourself together and tell me what happened?" Hope reached out and held her hand. She skimmed Jenkins' notes while she waiting for her cousin to calm down. "It says here that you saw Theresa attack Ben? Is this right?"

"She... she... Ben and I switched sides of the bed for the night. He wanted to be by the window so he could see someone coming. I usually sleep by the window. She must have known that, because she walked past me and..." Abigail began to sob again. Hope felt so sorry for the poor thing.

She had been right when she told Abigail they wouldn't be able to hold Theresa. Hope had called and warned her that she was released due to a lack of physical evidence. But now Hope was questioning herself. Theresa had tried to kill Abigail, but in doing so she had actually killed Ben Rogers. This meant that Nicole was innocent, despite having the stronger motive. Unless...

Nicole and Theresa were working together. It was the only explanation that made sense. After Nicole shot herself, Theresa must have removed the gun from the roof of the hospital. She had the access. And when Nicole went into hiding the victims became more closely tied to Theresa, whereas before they applied to both women equally. And Theresa could have easily helped Nicole steal the bed. Everything suddenly made so much sense. Salem didn't have one serial killer on the loose: it had two.

Hope took off her glasses to watch as two of the officers removed the chainsaw from the apartment. When Abigail saw it, she cried even harder. All Hope could do was hold her and put her glasses back on.

Jenkins returned several minutes later. "We have another witness, Ma'am. They've described a woman with brown hair fleeing the scene not long before we arrived, and the officer we sent to Theresa Donovan's residence has reported that she isn't there."

"Issue an APB, Jenkins. We can't let her escape."

The elevator dinged and Will emerged, dressed in a dark red shirt and matching dress pants. Looking completely unbothered, he crouched net to Hope and Abigail. "Is it okay if I take Abby to the hospital? I heard about what happened and rushed right over."

"Thank you, Will. I'll finish up here and meet you two there. I really appreciate this and I'm sure Abby does, too."

"Come on. Up we go," Will said as helped a sobbing Abigail to her feet and into the elevator. Hope was glad that her nephew was there to help his cousin in his time of need.

Days

Chad sat in the chair by his bed and watched Theresa as she slept. He reached down and felt the gash on his calf where she had bit him, and he imagined the claw marks on his back and chest would take awhile to heal. It was interesting to have a woman who was as controlling as he was. Their struggle for who would dominate made for the best sex of his life, even if he lost.

But as much as Chad enjoyed it, he was also puzzled. He hadn't sought Theresa out on his own. Will had ordered him to seduce her, which wasn't hard, and he had done as he was told. He hadn't thought anything of it at the time, but he often didn't think when he was inside of Will.

But as Chad felt the bruising Theresa left around his neck, he did start to think. He spent the whole night thinking.

Days

"How are you?" Will asked Abigail as soon as the car was on the road.

"Perfect," she boasted as she picked up and played with the dark wig in Will's floorboard. "As were you. Everyone thinks Theresa did it. Finally. It was getting so frustrating having Nicole be the lead suspect. What did you do with her, anyway?"

"You don't need to know that," Will told her as he stopped at a red light. "Still, I had no idea you knew how to work a chainsaw."

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me." Abigail laughed as she licked a spot of her late boyfriend's blood from the back of her hand. "Hopefully all of this is over and Hope finally locks her up. Or she gets a bullet in the head trying to resist arrest. Whatever it takes to end her reign of terror."

"Why not just kill her, though? Why everyone else? It's so convoluted." Will was laughing as he asked. Abigail laughed along as she tried on the wig.

"She needed to suffer for what she made me do to them. She still does. And nobody will ever suspect me. I'm a saint in this town, but Theresa? She's the devil. " Abigail flipped down the visor and stared at herself in the mirror. Her mouth broke open into a smile that would have scared anyone unfortunate enough to look into the car. Soon enough, she'd have to put her game face back on. Poor, traumatized little Abigail Devereaux, the only survivor of big, bad Theresa Donovan. But until they pulled into the hospital parking lot, she would revel in finally accomplishing her task.


	9. Chapter 9

When Theresa woke up, she was alone. It wasn't the first time a man had ditched her the morning after, but it was the first time he'd done it in his own home. After getting dressed, Theresa saw that had left her three hundred dollars in twenties on the nightstand. She pocketed it and grabbed a watch from Chad's dresser.

"He'll never miss it," she rationalized as she picked her purse up from the floor. Her phone fell out, and as Theresa picked it up she saw her own name. It was a notification from a news app that ran in the background. She never figured out how to shut that feature off. Curious as to what she was being blamed for this time, Theresa clicked on the notification. The headline photo was of a blood-soaked Abigail Devereaux being escorted into the Salem University Hospital by Will Horton.

Sitting on the bed, wincing a bit from how rough she and Chad had been, Theresa read the whole article. This wasn't about the Eve and JJ accusations. They were mentioned, but Abigail was saying she saw Theresa sawing her boyfriend in half. Why would she lie about that?

Theresa looked into the mirror attached to Chad's dresser. She was a mess: there were bite marks all along her neck and her arms were covered with bruises from where Chad threw her around. What had seemed like really hot fun the night before, a way to relieve the stress of being accused of killing her own sister, was suddenly the worst idea ever. If Theresa went to the cops now, looking like she had just crawled out of a bar fight, they'd never believe her innocence.

But she was innocent. She was! Sure, she'd put a rattle snake in Melanie's locker at work, but the guy in the park assured her that the poisonous parts were removed. And there was the time she'd swapped Daniel's tanning lotion with skin bleach, but he wasn't that badly burnt.

When Theresa heard the sirens pulling up to the Dimera Mansion, she knew why Chad had left. He saw the report and called them. Panicking, she pushed herself off the bed and ran to the door, knocking into the bookcase. A panel in the wall slid open.

Theresa vaguely remembered something about catacombs in Salem. She looked to window where she saw the lights flashing red and blue and decided to take her chances in the dark tunnel.

Days

Hope looked over the list of victims. Serena, Daniel, Melanie, Maggie, Eve, JJ, Jennifer, and now Ben. She was failing them. Nicole was still in hiding and, somehow, Theresa had eluded the Salem PD. Eric was still missing. Nobody had heard from him in weeks. And now Brady was telling her that he couldn't get in contact with John or Marlena. Something big was going on in Salem. It was something more than tag team serial killers.

"Jenkins!" Hope bellowed, looking over the case files. Even though they knew who the killers were, Hope still couldn't figure out why Serena had that picture of Eric when she died. She didn't suspect Eric of being involved in the killings, but she knew his disappearance was connected somehow. There was just too much happening for it not to be.

The door to Hope's office cracked opened and Jenkins popped his head in. "You called?"

"Abigail Devereaux. Is she still under police protection? Call the hospital and have one of the officers inform her that Theresa Donovan escaped."

"I can't do that, Ma'am. One of the officers you put on guard duty just called the station to report that your cousin checked herself AMA and refused any protection."

Hope put her glasses on and swore. Why was Abigail being so stupid? Without police protection, she was as good as dead.

Dismissing Jenkins, Hope pulled out a cigarette and lit it. She needed something to calm herself down while she thought about what to do next. Abigail wouldn't go back to Ben's apartment, and she probably wouldn't go to the Horton home anytime soon. So where? Where would she go to feel safe?

Hope took a long drag off her cigarette and dialed Abigail's cell number on her phone. As it rang through, she released the smoke through her nostrils. No answer. Angry, Hope slammed her phone down and picked up the photo of Nicole she kept in the case folder. Then Hope took another drag from her cigarette, then held its lit end against the picture. She left it there until Nicole's face had burned away and the cigarette poked through the other side.

"Not one more," Hope swore for the final time. She was going to stop Nicole and Theresa. She would rescue Eric Brady. Hope was going to save Salem and Abigail Devereaux was the key; she just had to find her.

Days 

Abigail was tired of waiting. She wouldn't play Will's game anymore: it had almost worked too many times. Almost wasn't good enough. If Theresa was going to be stopped, if she was going to be made to pay for everyone that had to die, then Abigail was going to do it herself.

"If you break our agreement, I won't protect you," Will told her as he sat on the counter of his apartment. "You will be on your own. Is that what you want?"

"What I want is for Theresa to pay. Because of her, my brother and my mother are dead. All those people, they died because of her. And because of you. You and your plan. Fuck your plan. I'm not killing anyone else unless it's that bitch."

When Jennifer had bought the shotgun, Abigail hadn't been happy. Her mother had claimed it was for protection, in case there was another Liam out there. Now Abigail was glad it was there. The cold steel made her feel warm inside.

"This won't get you the happy ending you want," Will cautioned.

Abigail snatched a steak knife from the drying rack by the sink and held it to Will's throat. She ignored the amused grin on his face. "You don't understand. Nobody ever did. My happy ending left this town the same day Austin Reed did."

Then Abigail lowered the knife and threw it to the floor. "I am not the one breaking our deal, Will. You are. Theresa is still free and now I have nothing but this." She picked up the shotgun and caressed it. "I have come too far, you have driven me too far, for it to end any way other than with her death."

"I never told you to kill them," Will reminded Abigail. "You were the one who put things in motion with Serena Mason. You were the one who came to me for help when Nicole became the lead suspect. I was just your cleanup man."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Goodbye, Will." Abigail grabbed her jacket from the rack by the door. They never saw each other again.

Days 

"Will. Finally," Chad said when his friend answered the phone. "What are you doing that it takes three calls for you to answer?"

Will first answered with a grunt, then formed words. "I'm just getting, mmm, acquainted with, uhh, what is your name? Aiden? I won't... OH FUCK! I won't remember that."

Blinking, Chad looked around Club TBD. T was the only person working, since Ben was dead or whatever. Hiring a replacement was going to be a pain.

"You seriously answered the phone while riding a dick? Oh, god, Will. You are such a whore."

"I thought that's what you, unf, liked about me? Or was I wrong?" Chad then heard something wet and shuddered. Sex sounds were not sexy.

"I just called to tell you that Sony was in a car accident. Ari, your daughter, she was at daycare or something when it happened. I think Adrienne picked her up." Chad stirred his coffee, then licked the swizzle stick clean. "Just thought you would want to know."

"Yeah. Thanks. Whatever." Will then hung up the phone and Chad shrugged. He didn't particularly care about Sonny or Gabi Hernandez's spawn.

Days 

When Hope woke up, it was dark outside. Jenkins was sitting by her bed, holding her glasses. Slowly, she reach over and grabbed them. Then Hope put her glasses on.

"Jenkins!" she barked, startling him back to consciousness. "What happened to me? Where are we?"

"The hospital ma'am. You and I... we were searching for your cousin Abigail at her mother's house. You were out by the mailbox when you were hit by a car. Your nephew-in-law, I think that's a real word, anyway, he's the one who hit you. You were pinned under the car and unconscious. He was drunk as a skunk, Ma'am. We have him in lockup right now. It's too late for his grandfather pay bail, but he'll probably be released tomorrow."

"What has his name, Jenkins? I have, like, half the male population of Salem as in-laws."

"Sonny Kiriakis."

Hope cursed under her breath and took her glasses off. "And what did the doctors say about me? I feel fine." She then proceeded to uncover her feet and wiggle her toes.

"Just a concussion, Ma'am. Well, that, and they said you're severely malnourished. Do you want me to get you something from the cafeteria?"

"I don't have time to eat, Jenkins. Get the doctor in here to clear me for discharge. We have to find Theresa Donovan and Nicole Walker. They've done something with Abigail and it can't be anything good."

Putting her glasses back on, Hope stared Jenkins down. When he realized she wasn't kidding, he jerked to his feet with a "Yes, Ma'am" and ran out of the room. She really wanted a cigarette.

Days

When Theresa reached the end of the tunnel, she was cold and tired and her feet hurt. She thought it might have been a dead end, but when she leaned against the wall she heard something click. The wall before her rolled open and Theresa walked through it. She found herself in a church.

"I knew you would be here. After my dad died, I spent months searching every inch of those catacombs hoping that maybe, somehow, he'd fallen into them. I know that your whore ass fucked Chad. I know about the tunnel in his bedroom and where it leads. I know everything."

Groaning, Theresa turned towards the voice. Then she screamed and dodged as Abigail fired her shotgun.

"I know what you did, Theresa. I've always known. Every bad thing that happens in this town? It's your fault. JJ, my mother... Even your own sister! They're all dead because of you. How can you live with yourself?"

"I didn't kill anybody!" Theresa cried as she began crawling through the pews. Then she shrieked as Abigail fired in the direction of her voice. Dropping as low as she could, Theresa rolled a couple of aisles away to put more distance between Abigail and herself.

"You didn't kill anybody? HA!" Abigail screamed as she reloaded the shotgun and began skulking about the church. "Did you forget Liam, Theresa? Did you forget helping him? Did you forget that he's dead? You knew he was unbalanced and said nothing. Now he's dead. He's dead just like everyone else you killed!"

Abigail fired into the ceiling and Theresa instinctively covered her head. There was no way she was going to be able to escape this madwoman. Abigail Devereaux was going to kill her when she was finally innocent of the crimes of which she was being accused!

"You killed them all, Theresa. Because of you, Serena got a pipe through the skull. Daniel was crucified and my mother bludgeoned to death and stuffed into a deep fryer. JJ was handcuffed to the bed and choked to death on a dildo after Eve was strangled with a leather whip. Ben was cut in half with a chainsaw and it's all because of you!" Abigail fired another shot into a wall. "YOU DID THIS, THERESA! YOU KILLED THEM ALL AND I'M GOING TO STOP YOU!"

Even through the fear, Theresa remembered something: Hope never said how JJ and Eve had died. The cops weren't releasing that information. There were no witnesses and it didn't happen in a public place. They wanted to keep the details of what they were doing under wraps: probably to protect JJ's reputation. But how did Abigail know?

Unless Abigail was there. Abigail would never voluntarily go to Eve's apartment. Never. The cops didn't even release how the bodies were discovered. Theresa knew this because her sister was the victim and she was the suspect.

But Abigail was there.

Abigail Devereaux was the serial killer.


	10. Chapter 10

"When I find you, I'm not even going to toy with you," Abigail yelled as she swept her eyes over the sanctuary of the church. Theresa was hiding underneath the pulpit, clutching to her chest a bottle of vodka someone had stashed there. If, by some miracle, she made it out alive, she would need every drop. Preferably off of a stripper's abs.

Abigail blindly fired again and Theresa instinctively cringed. She had to run out of bullets sometime. Right? Or someone would hear the gunshots coming from a fucking church. She didn't dare call 911 and give away her position.

"And it's not just the people that you killed, Theresa. It's all the other things you did. You cost me my happiness. I tried to replace him with Chad and Cameron and Ben. Even EJ Dimera. EJ DIMERA! But none of them were Austin. He left me and I've been treading water ever since and you come along like a fucking shark and shred even the smallest of hopes that keep me from drowning."

Theresa blinked because nothing Abigail was saying made any damn sense. Bitch was crazy.

"All the things... All the people I've sacrificed are worth it, Theresa. They have to be worth it. I'll stop you. None of it will be in vain. It can't be. IT CAN'T!"

The shotgun went off again and the portion of the pulpit just above Theresa's head disappeared. She bit on her hand to keep from screaming. That was way too close. Just hiding and waiting wasn't going to do it. She needed to act and soon. Death was starting to look less painful than listening to Abigail rant about boring shit like being a slut or whatever. Theresa just did not care.

"Where are you hiding? The door didn't open. I would've heard it," Abigail said before kicking something that sounded like wood. "And your catacomb has already sealed itself. Why don't you come out and play like a big girl, Theresa? At least Carrie had the guts to face me. She was a real Brady. But you? You're a slut and a whore and a joke, just like that dead sister of yours. She deserved what she got for using her vagina to hypnotize JJ. Poor JJ, though. He didn't deserve it. None of them did but Eve. And you. You deserve this Theresa. You've had it coming your whole miserable life."

Abigail passed by the pulpit, but didn't look at Theresa. Gripping the vodka bottle by the neck, Theresa took the opportunity to strike.

The first blow knocked Abigail to the ground, her shotgun skittering away. The second shattered the bottle. Before Theresa could drive the jagged remains into Abigail's back, the other woman knocked her off.

"NO! You do not get to kill me, you foul harlot. Not today. Not any day!" Abigail ranted as she rose to her feet. "I am the good guy here. You are the evil sinner WHORE!"

"I never fucked a man who was engaged," Theresa replied before punching Abigail in the face. "Well, not that I know of."

Words no longer existed for Abigail, who instead let out a guttural screech as she leapt at her nemesis. They slammed into the wall directly behind the pulpit. Theresa head-butted Abigail, punched her in the throat, and threw her to the ground. Then she used her few precious seconds to prop herself between the wall and some tacky ass crucifix stature.

"Bye, Bitch!" Theresa screamed as she braced herself against the wall and used her feet to push against the crucifix, toppling it.

The statue fell onto Abigail. Exhausted, Theresa sat down beside her fallen enemy.

"I... kill..." Abigail gasped as she tried to reach out to Theresa.

"Yeah, sure. You'll kill me. Whatever. Listen, I'm leaving this town and never coming back. So congrats: you won. But first..."

"All the people I've sacrificed are worth it, Theresa. They have to be worth it." Abigail's voice echoed across the empty sanctuary before Theresa pressed the pause button on her phone's screen.

"I think Hope Brady will appreciate this. Goodbye."

Days

Hope played the recording on the phone for the third time. Theresa was innocent. Abigail all but confessed to killing everybody. How had she been so wrong about everything?

"Jenkins, put in the call to have the manhunt on Theresa Donovan called off. Shit. Why didn't we realize that this was all a setup? Poor Abigail. She's so lost without her father that she killed the rest of her family." Hope put her glasses on and looked out the window of Jenkins' squad car. They'd been headed to the Dimera mansion to question Chad when the call came in about the shooting at the church.

"I really hope she can get the help she needs. It's so heartbreaking to see such a promising young woman potentially throw her life away."

There were unanswered questions, but when Abigail woke up they'd learn what they needed.

"Where is Eric?" Hope wondered aloud as she took her glasses and rubbed her forehead. "Where is Nicole? I don't think Abby was involved, Jenkins. Everyone else was found, but Eric never was. Maybe the first victim having his picture was a red herring. Maybe he was the bait Abigail used to lure Serena out. I just don't know."

"Let's just be glad we managed to solve this one, Ma'am. We stopped your poor niece from killing anyone else."

"I wish we could prosecute Theresa for driving her to it, Jenkins. I really do. Abby just doesn't deserve it. But we can't stop. Nicole Walker is still out there and she probably has my nephew Eric. She needs to be brought to justice."

"And she will be," Jenkins assured Hope as they pulled up to the police station. Hope was going to hand the phone with Abigail's confession to the evidence department, and then she was going to find Nicole and end her reign of terror.

Days

The sun rose and Chad stretched. Will was back in his bed, sleeping where Theresa had just the night before. But something was off. The sex was as great as ever, but Will was too easily dominated. Theresa had fought back and even managed to win; Will just took his beating like a good boy. Chad found himself missing the challenge.

"Wake up," he ordered as he kicked Will's leg. "We need to talk."

"Oh?" Will yawned, then rolled over so that he was perched on top of Chad. "Since when do we talk sans clothing?

It took all of Chad's willpower to keep his brain functioning as Will licked his way across Chad's torso.

"Look, all I'm saying is..." Chad felt himself start to buck against Will and immediately thought of Paige Larsen in a bikini. As his libido cooled, his senses started to return. "Will, we're equals, right?"

Then Will laughed and wrapped his hands around Chad's throat. "What makes you think we're equals? Because I let you hit me? Because I let you fuck my ass? Because I gave you John Black? We aren't equals, Chad. You did everything I said without question. I did everything I wanted. We are anything but equal."

Chad couldn't reply. He couldn't breathe. All he could do was lie there as Will ground his ass against Chad's crotch. It was as arousing as it was terrifying.

"I own you. If I want your dick, it's mine. If I want you to kill someone, they're dead. Do you understand, Little Boy?"

Nodding, Chad slapped at Will's arm. The other man eased off his throat, then bent down and kissed him.

"I understand," Chad said after they broke apart, rubbing his neck. "We aren't equal. But I'd still... I want to know why you had me seduce Theresa Donovan. She's a serial killer."

"That is no longer my concern, and by extension it's no longer yours." Will sucked on his finger, then pulled it from his mouth and wrote his name in Chad's chest hair. "Now, do you want to talk or do you want to put my mouth to better use."

Fighting the urge to succumb, Chad barely held Will at bay. "I said I'll stand by you, but I feel like I deserve to know what's going on."

"I told you that you would regret those words." Will sat up and held out his right hand, his left on Chad's chest. "Are you sure you want to know?"

Chad nodded. Will snapped his fingers.

Days

Eric had become used to that which wasn't Will arriving with no warning. However, when he arrived on top of Chad Dimera, both of them naked, he had to admit that he was surprised.

Marlena still said nothing. She just sat in her cage and watched.

"This is it, Chad. This is everything. This is where it begins and it ends." Not Will dragged his hands though Chad's hair, pulling him up into a kiss. Eric felt a pang of something he couldn't quite name.

"What the hell just happened?" Chad panted after he and Not Will broke apart.

"Hell is more appropriate than you realize," Eric scoffed, drawing the attention of the man and the thing pretending to be a man.

"Will? What is..."

Not Will climbed off of Chad and strode to Eric, who did his best to keep away from the thing in his nephew's body.

"Surely you remember the good Father, Chad." One of Will's legs slid between both of Eric's. "We've been spending a lot of bonding time together, as men are wont to do."

"You're fucking your uncle. We have done some messed up stuff, Will. Some really messed up stuff, but that takes the cake."

"This is NOT Will, Chad," Eric said as he tried his best not to melt while Not Will sucked and chewed on his earlobe. "Es Él Diablo."

"Español, Padre? Muy caliénte." Will's hands began exploring Eric's body and his resistance was gone.

Chad interrupted them just before they kissed. "What. The. Fuck."

"Do you have objections? Would you like to join?"

"ENOUGH!" Everyone looked to Marlena as she finally spoke. "I will tolerate a lot of things, but my grandson with a Dimera? NEVER!"

"Not your call, old woman," Not Will said lazily, snapping his fingers and gagging Marlena. Then he turned his back to Eric. "Now where were we?"

"You were done."

A fingersnap echoed through the dungeon and suddenly Chad and Not Will were both clothed.

"You?" Not Will laughed and released Eric. "You come into my domain and make pronouncements?"

Eric looked over to Nicole, who was standing above her bed. No, she was floating and holding both of her hands out. She snapped both fingers and the bed flew to the corner. She remained in the air.

"This is your domain, but you are not their master. Mankind has free will."

"Holy Mother Mary?" Eric whispered as Nicole looked to him and smiled. Her eyes glowed green and put his at ease.

"Not even. I told you, Father. I'm not Satan. She isn't Mary, Magdalene or of Nazareth. Our kind doesn't work like that. And her powers are nothing compared to mine while we are here."

Holding his hand in Nicole's direction, Not Will snapped his fingers and she fell to the floor.

"Why would you even challenge me here? At least on Earth you would hold the advantage. But here, none are my equal."

Nicole rose to her feet, a smile on her face. "You know that to be untrue."

"What the fuck is going on?!" Chad yelled. "Why am I wearing parachute pants, a turtleneck sweater, and a rubber ducky ascot?"

"This host, she likes it," Nicole answered before smiling at the thing in Will's body. "And you? You will leave this man's body now. It is your only chance."

"You wouldn't bring the Void here. It's as much of a danger to you as it is to me!" For the first time, Eric heard fear behind Not Will's bravado.

"I already have." Nicole snapped her fingers and the hospital bed flew away from the corner.

"Ciara?!" Eric gasped before he felt Not Will clutch onto him. He didn't think he'd ever seen his nephew's face grow so pale.

"You would really end us all? This abomination is not a toy!" The thing that wasn't Will pointed his fingers at Ciara and snapped, but nothing happened. "You have doomed us all!"

"Hello," Ciara said to the assembled, fingers playing with the braids in her hair. Her eyes were locked on Not Will. "It feels like I haven't seen you in a thousand years."

When Ciara smiled, Not Will screamed. She stepped out of the corner and Will's fingers snapped again, sending the bed flying at her. She just held her hand up and it vanished.

"This isn't over," Not Will threatened. It snapped his fingers one final time and Will's body collapsed to the floor.

"It may not be over, but I'll watch over you. Always remember that," Nicole said to everyone. Then she snapped her fingers and everyone was suddenly in the middle of the park.

"Where did you guys come from?" Brady asked when he saw the crowd. He stood up from the bench and helped Eric to his feet. "Have you seen any unicorns?"

"Not now, Brady," Eric said as he ran to Marlena's side. Helping his mother to her feet, he saw both Nicole and Will lying on the ground. Ciara stood over both of them. "Can you take Ciara home?"

"I can take my own daughter home," Hope said as she and another cop walked onto the scene. "Jenkins, take Ciara to the squad car. I'm going to find out what's going on here."

"Aunt Hope, what are you doing here?" Eric asked as picked Will, holding his nephew in his arms.

"Someone called me about Brady. You know why I'm here, Brady. Hand it over."

"But I need it to hunt unicorns. If I give the homeless guy unicorn hair, I can use the port-a-potty to teleport to Heaven and visit Melanie! Will told me that I would need it to see her."

"Give me the knife, Brady. You should know the rules. Especially after what happened to Johnny's eye."

"Brady!" Marlena gasped. "Who gave you a knife? That's something so irresponsible that even Nicole wouldn't do it."

"It was Will," Brady pouted as he gave the blade to Hope. "He told me I would need it."

"And if Will told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it?" Marlena crossed her arms and tapped her foot on the grass.

"I'm sorry." Brady kicked at the ground.

"Brady, why don't you go to the squad car and wait for me? Ciara and Jenkins are there. He bought me a sandwich for lunch, but you two can split it."

"What kind is it?"

"It's a surprise," Hope said with a smile. "Go on. Jenkins and Ciara are waiting."

"I love surprises!" Brady exclaimed before running off.

Then Hope looked to Marlena and Eric. "Now what exactly happened here?"

"Will was possessed by the devil and held us prisoner." Eric jostled the man in his arms and Will started to stir. "We're pretty sure that he's been exorcised, though."

"Oww. My head," Nicole groaned as she sat up. "The last thing I remember was Abigail Devereaux shooting me."

"Quit blaming other people for everything, Nicole," Hope snapped. "Where have you been?"

"She was with us." Marlena answered.

"So she worked with Devil Will to hold you captive? I knew it!" Hope snapped her fingers and Will sprang to life in Eric's arms, throwing his arms around his uncle's neck in a panic.

Will and Eric looked into each other's eyes and something passed between them. Then Will spoke. "You can... I can stand."

"Right," Eric nodded, squatting so that Will could stand on his own. "How much do you remember?"

"Too much," Will whispered. Then he looked to Hope. "Nicole didn't help me. She summoned Ciara, who chased the Devil out of me."

"I did?" Nicole was wobbly on her feet and held her head, as if trying to remember. "That's right. There was... Ciara."

"You put my daughter in danger? Nicole Walker, you're under arrest for the charge of child endangerment."

"NO!" Nicole cried, stumbling forward and grabbing Hope's arm. "It wasn't me. I possessed by this benevolent spirit. I think she called herself Gaea..."

Hope pistol whipped Nicole in the mouth. "You all saw! She tried to attack me. We're adding that to the list of charges."

"But I... Gaea..." Nicole sobbed as Hope put her in handcuffs.

"JENKINS! Get your ass over here!" Hope screamed at the top of her lungs. "Nicole Walker, you have the right to remain silent..."

Days

The moment they had returned to Salem, Chad bolted. He wasn't sticking around for Will to remember what happened to John Black, or the other things Chad had done. No, Chad knew he had to get out of country. It was a good thing Dimera money always managed to speed things up.

When he found his seat on the plane, there was already a woman sitting by the window. He hadn't had time to charter a private jet. Eventually, he would set up a proper flight to Kristen's private island, but until then he just needed out of the country.

"As I live and breathe. If it isn't Chad Dimera."

"Theresa Donovan," he sighed as he sat beside her. He'd read a report on the cab ride to the airport clearing her name. "Sorry about yesterday."

"But not the night before, I hope," Theresa purred as she leaned over the armrest and into Chad's lap.

"You may not be guilty, but you sure as hell aren't innocent," Chad mused. "At least I'm not the only one who felt the need to get out of that town."

"Uh huh. I'm tired of all of those people. So, where are you headed?" Theresa asked before leaning back into her own seat.

"Same place as you. At first. We'll see from there."

"We?"

Chad relaxed back into his seat. "Are you a member of the Mile High Club?"

"I have a lifetime membership," Theresa bragged. Chad grinned lewdly.

Days

"This place is so empty," Will said as he and Eric walked into his apartment. "Sonny is in the hospital because of me. You heard Adrienne. And I... She's trying to take Ari from me. I did abandon her."

"Sonny is in the hospital because he got drunk and hit a cop with a car. You'll get your daughter back, Will."

Nodding, Will saw a knife in the sink and touched his throat. Poor Abigail. She was struggling with her own demons, but the one inside of him led her down a dark path. All the horrible things he did...

"Did you see what happened to Chad after we came back? I lost him in the confusion."

Eric shook his head. He had completely forgotten about Chad.

"This is... This is weird, isn't it? I'm sorry about everything I did. God, I'm gonna say to a lot of people. I did so many things to so many people."

"It wasn't you, Will. It was that thing. That thing inside you was responsible," Eric argued. "And I... I have to accept blame as well. You couldn't control your actions, but I could control mine. I should be the one apologizing to you."

It was Will's turn to shake his head. He reached out and grabbed Eric's forearm, but both men pulled away as if burnt. "Sorry, I just. That thing... All of those men. I was cheating on Sonny before it... This whole thing started because I was unfaithful."

"It came for me first, Will," Eric reminded him.

"And you were too strong to resist it. I wasn't." Will retrieved a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water from the faucet. Eric noticed that his hands were shaking. "If it ever comes back, it'll try for me again."

"It won't." Eric reached out and took the glass from Will before he could spill it, and he kept holding Will's hand even though his body felt like it was on fire. "I won't let it."

Will looked into Eric's eyes. He felt that same pull he had all those weeks in the dungeon, but this time it wasn't shameful or dirty. Eric searched his nephew's eyes, just to be safe. All he saw was Will.

"People will talk. You're my uncle."

"They always talk. And everyone is related in Salem. It was bound to happen sometime."

"I raped you."

"That wasn't you," Eric reminded him, touching Will's cheek with the back of his hand. "And EJ raped Sami and they still got married eight hundred times."

"Don't do anything you don't want to do."

And Eric didn't. When he kissed Will, when the fire in both of them flared to dangerously high levels, it was because he wanted to do so.


End file.
